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I use the phrase "you have right" quite often when I want to say that somebody is right about something. But today I was corrected that there is no such saying, and that "you have a right" can mean only that somebody has some rights to do something.

What is the truth?

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  • If the dictionary says "to be right", you should believe it and that "to have right" (as in some other languages) is wrong.
    – rogermue
    Feb 16, 2016 at 12:37
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    "You have it right" might be used to mean "Yes, you understand it correctly".
    – stangdon
    Feb 16, 2016 at 13:24

2 Answers 2

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The correct phrase for the action you're describing would be "You are right". "You have right" is not a valid English phrase, although "You have it right" would be understandable to an English speaker.

As you were correctly told, "You have a right" means that you are stating that someone has a right (To do something, to say something, to be something).

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To add to Robin's answer "you have the right of it" is an out-moded way of saying "you are right" but is almost never heard today.

Stick with "you are right".

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  • +1 for mentioning "you have the right of it". Very occasionally I see it online and it grates.
    – Eddie Kal
    Dec 9, 2019 at 4:05

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