http://www.englishforums.com/search/pro.htm?q=tag%3aModals+tag%3aAmerican+English+tag%3aIdiomsSearch results for 'tag:Modals tag:American English tag:Idioms' matching tags 'Modals', 'American English', and 'Idioms'en-USCSMOD (Build: 3273.32735)http://www.englishforums.com/English/Gotta/jmxj/post.htm#47932Wed, 29 Sep 2004 05:53:42 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:47932califjimThe idiom is have got in both American and British English It is a purely idiomatic alternate for have and is not much used except in the present tense That is have got is the present tense of this idiom even though get is the present tense form of to get and the past is got This is because have got is Present Perfect in form though not in meaning To be more specific have got is the British Present Perfect the American Present Perfect being have gotten So in American English we have My brother has gotten up early this morning whereas in British English we have My brother has got up early this morning Nevertheless the idiom is have got in both AmEng and BrEng not have gotten not even in American English I have got a pen I have a pen I have not got any money I do not have any money Using contractions I ve got a pen I have a pen I haven t got any money I don t have any money The use of have got for have extends to the affirmative form of the semi modal have to so that have got to is an idiomatic substitute for have to meaning must The negative form is rare I have got to meet my friend at 10 o clock I ve got to meet my friend at 10 o clock I have to meet my friend at 10 o clock The full conjugation with contractions is I ve got to you ve got to he s he has got to she s she has got to we ve got to you ve got to they ve got to In fast or less careful speech the contracted have ve is glossed over and can barely be heard or may not be heard at all Simultaneously the got to collapses into gotta In American English this is pronounced godda The z sound in he s got and she s got which stands for has remains however This leads to the following conjugation using go as the complement verb I gotta go you gotta go he s gotta go she s gotta go we gotta go you gotta go they gotta go This is used in conversation only it should never be used in formal writing under any circumstances