must have got or must have

[Filip]

hello there,
I would like to know whether I can use 'have' and 'have got' interchangeably when they follow 'must', as in:

"Well, I don't have a scythe. But Jack's a farmer, he must have one you can borrow"

and

"I'm not calling his bet, he must have got a pair of aces"

Is it possible to use 'have got' after 'must' or can I only use 'have'?

[konungursvia]

No, they are different. "Must have" means "certainly possesses" while "must have got" usually means "has certainly undergone, suffered, went through, or experienced" a procedure or action in the passive sense of a victim or recipient, e.g. "He must have got laid, must have got a hair cut, must have got stopped by the police...

[Filip]

Good to know, you've prevented me in time from making a horrible mistake
in my grammar there. Thanks

[konungursvia]

Must have got a pair of aces is possible, in the sense of must have received, however. In that case, you can say "He must have" (possess) "a pair of aces" or "must have got", in which one signifies the acquiring, the other the possessing.

[Filip]

I see, but I indeed meant that he holds the pair of aces in his hands right now, so it's definitely the "he must have" pattern that applies here then.

Also, I was wondering. Shouldn't it be "he must have gotten a pair of aces" (in the case where he received them from the dealer) rather than "he must have got a pair of aces" or are we not dealing with a present perfect in this sentence?

[engee30]

Also, I was wondering. Shouldn't it be "he must have gotten a pair of aces" (in the case where he received them from the dealer) rather than "he must have got a pair of aces" or are we not dealing with a present perfect in this sentence?

It's that British-English-vs-American-English thing, you know.

[Filip]

aah, as if things don't get confusing enough sometimes
Then the question still remains, which is the American and which
is the British variant...

[konungursvia]

AE has the more ancient "gotten", while BE has the more recently abridged "got".

[Filip]

Thank you for sorting that one out for me.

[grandada]

Just as a footnote. To use 'have got' is discouraged in English schools that you will very rarely hear it used in that form. When I attended School (a long time ago) the use of 'got' and 'get' was discouraged, to the extent that most English people would prefer to say " He must have been dealt a pair of aces".