I’ve/ I have

[UnsolicitedOpinions]

I often notice that a lot of people on MN use “I’ve” instead of “I have” in a sense that I wouldn’t do. I mean in a situation where you’re talking about owning something rather than having done something.

I wouldn’t use the phrase “I’ve two dogs” but I would use it in the sense of “I’ve cooked the dinner”

I notice that a lot of people here do though and I wondered if it is a regional thing, as I don’t hear people say it in real life either?

AIBU to ask you this? I must stress that it’s not a criticism - I just often wonder about it.

I've a dog. Irish.

I'd say the same - north east England

Both are correct

It's not usual to contract I have in standard English, unless have is being used as an auxiliary verb, as in I have got or I have been. I think it's contracted in Irish English though and, as others have said, in various regions across the UK.

I teach English as an additional language and contracting I have to I've without a participle would be classed as a grammatical error. That said EAL is way out of date with what it considers to be correct these days and is very prescriptive rather than descriptive. When preparing overseas students for studying in the UK, I spend most of my time undoing a lot of what they've had to learn just to be able to pass their exams, so they can speak English more naturally.

Yes the "I've" thing drives me to distraction sometimes. I will see a sentence that says something like "I've a car", and in my mind I have to insert got in it so it reads "I've got a car" because I've a car just seems like broken English. I'm not from the UK and the first thing I noticed about this site is how extremely formal and old-fashioned people in the UK (on this site) are when speaking. The first thing I noticed is people writing 'whilst' instead of while. It just seems so Enid Blyton-era language. I have never come across anyone in real life who writes whilst, not even at school. Then there is the use of the word 'limerence' that I had to look up in the dictionary as I had never heard of that word ever. It's not even used outside the UK I don't think. Also many other really strange and formal but long out of use terms. Sometimes reading this site is like reading literature from the late 1800s.

From Australia here. People here would say either "I have two dogs" or "I've got two dogs" I've never heard anyone say "I've two dogs".

I'd actually say 'av got two dogs'

Scottish.

I was going to say it sounds like how my Yorkshire grandparents speak. My grandma will say things like "I've to go to the shop" when I'd say "I have to go to the shop" or "I've got to go to the shop".

Surely it’s speech to text autocorrect? I have often dictated ‘I have’ only for it to come out as ‘I’ve’.

I’d say ‘I have a dog’ (but I don’t have one), Southern England.

Normal usage to me. I wonder when it will change to "I of two dogs" though.