Meaning & use
contractions we have
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
The shortened form 'we've', made from the pronoun 'we' and the verb 'have'.
Grammar: 'We've' is used before a past participle to form the present perfect, as in 'We've finished.'
Patterns
- we've + past participle
- we've got
We've already seen that movie twice.
We've got a lot of work to do before Friday.
Common combinations
- we've got
- We've got plenty of time to catch the train.
- we've been
- We've been waiting here for an hour.
- we've never
- We've never visited that museum before.
Synonyms and how they differ
- we have
- The full form is used in formal writing or for emphasis, while 'we've' is more common in speech.
Word family
- we'd abbreviation
- Contraction of 'we had' or 'we would'.
- we'll abbreviation
- Contraction of 'we will'.
- we're abbreviation
- Contraction of 'we are'.
Commonly confused: contractions we have or we've vs. we've got?
contractions we have vs we've vs. we've got
'We've' is used with a past participle (We've eaten), while 'we've got' means 'we have' in the sense of possession (We've got a car).
Practice
Which sentence correctly uses the contraction for 'we have'?
Choose one answer.
The contraction 'we've' requires an apostrophe and is followed by a past participle like 'finished'. Option 3 uses the base form 'finish', which is incorrect.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “contractions we have”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.