've

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ve"

English

Alternative forms

• -a (slang)

Etymology

Contraction of have.

Pronunciation

• (postvocalic) IPA^(key): /v/
• (postconsonantal) IPA^(key): /əv/
• Homophone: of (postconsonantal 've only, unstressed of only)

Verb

've (clitic)

1. Have in its sense marking the perfect or retrospective tense.
   • 2015 November 30, Shane O'Mara, Why Torture Doesn’t Work: The Neuroscience of Interrogation‎^[1], Harvard University Press, →ISBN, page 12:

     Santorum, in a comment regarding Senator John McCain's repudiation of torture, stated, "He doesn't understand how enhanced interrogation works. I mean, you break somebody, and after they've broken they become cooperative" (Summers 2011).

2. (dialect) Have in its other uses.
   • 1996, Deirdre Purcell, Roses After Rain, page 335:

     "...Where's the ladies' in this joint? I've to powder me nose."

Usage notes

In many dialects, -'ve is only used to mark the perfect aspect ("I've done something" = "I have done something"), not to signify possession ("I have something"), necessity ("I have to do something"), etc. In others, -'ve is used more broadly; this is sometimes proscribed.

See also

• ’d
• ’ll
• ’m
• ’re
• ’s (third person)

Anagrams

• E.V., EV, eV, μeV