# In "That's all I have to say" which meaning does "have" have? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 2, 2014, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-thats-all-i-have-to-say-which-meaning-does-have-have/682703 "2014-03-02T22:01:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-thats-all-i-have-to-say-which-meaning-does-have-have/682703/1 "2014-03-02T22:01:24Z")
If you say “That’s all I have to say” does “have” mean possess or need? “That’s all the words I possess in my arsenal to contribute to this conversation” versus “That’s the extent of my need to speak”? Secondary question: Would anyone else change the pronunciation of “have” depending on which meaning you intend? ---
**Author:** ![Hellestal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ab097/32.png) [@Hellestal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hellestal)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-thats-all-i-have-to-say-which-meaning-does-have-have/682703/2 "2014-03-02T22:10:28Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Secondary question: Would anyone else change the pronunciation of “have” depending on which meaning you intend? For me, yes. Absolutely. “That’s all I hafta say” = “That is all I’m required to say.” ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-thats-all-i-have-to-say-which-meaning-does-have-have/682703/3 "2014-03-02T22:57:08Z")
Both my wife and I agree “haff to say” means I’m not required to say any more. “have to say” means I’ve spoken my peace. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-thats-all-i-have-to-say-which-meaning-does-have-have/682703/4 "2014-03-02T22:57:27Z")
[QUOTE=Hellestal] For me, yes. Absolutely. “That’s all I hafta say” = “That is all I’m required to say.” [/QUOTE] Agreed, although I can’t remember ever uttering the words in that sense. The other sense would seem more likely to crop up in real life. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-thats-all-i-have-to-say-which-meaning-does-have-have/682703/5 "2014-03-02T23:11:16Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > Both my wife and I agree > > “haff to say” means I’m not required to say any more. > > “have to say” means I’ve spoken my peace. But does speaking your piece mean as if from a compulsion, like “I just gotta say this thing. Now, I’ve said it and I’m done”? Or is it, “I have run out of words. Those were all of the words I had”? ---
**Author:** ![Hellestal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ab097/32.png) [@Hellestal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hellestal)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-thats-all-i-have-to-say-which-meaning-does-have-have/682703/6 "2014-03-03T00:19:16Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > But does speaking your piece mean as if from a compulsion, like “I just gotta say this thing. Now, I’ve said it and I’m done”? Or is it, “I have run out of words. Those were all of the words I had”? For me: “Those are all the words in my possession that I have any intention of uttering right now in this context.” There’s no compulsion, or it would be pronounced the other way. ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-thats-all-i-have-to-say-which-meaning-does-have-have/682703/7 "2014-03-03T07:52:43Z")
The ambiguity disappears when you use the expression differently. For example, _I have something to say_. Pronunciation shouldn’t vary and, in any case, will depend on the speaker’s region. ---
**Author:** ![bardos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bardos/32/1069_2.png) [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-thats-all-i-have-to-say-which-meaning-does-have-have/682703/8 "2014-03-03T08:54:06Z")
“don’t have to” very often means “don’t need to”. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-thats-all-i-have-to-say-which-meaning-does-have-have/682703/9 "2014-03-03T11:04:11Z")
NM… I just repeating “have to”= “need to” Vs “have”= “possess”. ---
**Author:** ![Carl\_Pham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9a140/32.png) [@Carl\_Pham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carl_Pham)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-thats-all-i-have-to-say-which-meaning-does-have-have/682703/10 "2014-03-03T16:44:42Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > If you say “That’s all I have to say” does “have” mean possess or need? > > “That’s all the words I possess in my arsenal to contribute to this conversation” versus “That’s the extent of my need to speak”? > > Secondary question: Would anyone else change the pronunciation of “have” depending on which meaning you intend? It can mean a lot of different things, depending on where you put the stress: 1. THAT’S all I have to say = “That last thing I just said? That’s the key to what I mean.” 2. That’s ALL I have to say = “I’m done talking on this topic now, having probably said quite a lot.” 3. That’s all _I_ have to say = “Someone else may have a different, much stupider, opinion.” 4. That’s all I HAVE to say = “I’m taking the Fifth.” 5. That’s all I have to SAY = “Time for action!” Additionally, context can add still more nuance. English is not like a sequence of programming statements, each statement rarely has a complete and precise meaning all by its lonesome, it depends for its precise meaning on context and (in the case of the spoken language) intonation (sarcasm, fervor, doubt, questioning, assertive) and stress. ---
**Author:** ![randompattern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@randompattern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randompattern)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-thats-all-i-have-to-say-which-meaning-does-have-have/682703/11 "2014-03-03T16:52:41Z")
Depends on whether or not I’m testifying. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-thats-all-i-have-to-say-which-meaning-does-have-have/682703/12 "2014-03-03T16:59:43Z")
I would add: “That’s all I have to say” = “That’s all I MUST say,” and anything additional is up to me . . . as in “name, rank, serial number.”