What does “got” mean? Singlish meaning and example

got

verbEnglish, after Hokkien

There is, there are; have; also did, before a verb.

“Got people sitting here? I got go already.”

More Singlish from English

for what Why bother? What’s the point?

gahmen The government, as it’s said.

gone case A hopeless case: someone or something past saving.

gostan Reverse a vehicle (from “go astern”); to back off.

handphone A mobile phone.

hawker A cooked-food stall holder, or the food centre itself.

heaty Food that “heats” the body: fried, spicy, durian.

izzit Is it? Really? A reply to almost anything.

Words that use “got”

belanja “Got bonus? Then you belanja us lunch lah.”

best “Best, now it’s raining and I got no umbrella.”

boleh “Tomorrow got time? Boleh, see you there.”

char bor “Got so many char bor at the party.”

confirm “Got durian at the party? Confirm he come.”

for what “Buy so many shoes for what? Got feet only two.”

getai “The getai at the carpark got front row seats left empty.”

gula “The kueh got gula melaka inside, very sweet.”

Questions

What does “got” mean in Singlish?

There is, there are; have; also did, before a verb. It’s a verb.

Where does “got” come from?

From English, after Hokkien. Other Singlish words from English include for what, gahmen, gone case and gostan.

How do you use “got” in a sentence?

“Got people sitting here? I got go already.” It turns up in other words’ examples too: see belanja, best and boleh.

Liddat’s own words, from the Singlish dictionary: 312 words and phrases, A to Z.