This is what we have to do. Modal verb Have To in English

Modal verb have to (sometimes called a modal construction) is used to express an obligation or necessity (in the affirmative or interrogative form) or lack of obligation and necessity (in the negative form). Also verb have to can express confidence, certainty, probability.

Have to is a synonym for modal verb must , and has a connotation of being forced due to some circumstances.

For example:
This answer has to be correct.
This answer there must be, correct. ( Expresses confidence and certainty.)

They had to leave early.
Them had to leave early. ( Expresses obligation, compulsion due to circumstances.)

The soup has to be stirred continuously to prevent burning.
Occasionally soup need to stir so that it does not burn. ( Expresses necessity.)

Using the modal verb have to in the present, past and future tenses

In most cases, the use of modal verbs in the past and future tenses is different from other verbs. The table below shows use of a modal verb have to in different situations.

Remember:
Design don't have to means no need, but not prohibition, while the design must not means a categorical prohibition.

Your application is accepted

Our manager will contact you soon

Close

There was an error sending

Send again

The English verb system is significantly different from Russian. You can often hear: “English is so difficult! And modal verbs are something from the realm of science fiction.” In fact, there is nothing complicated about them: you need to take a close look at them.

In this article we will deal with one such verb - “have to”.

Tense forms of the verb have to

The modal verb have to can be used in the present, past and future tenses. The table shows in detail the formation of different forms of the verb.

Present Simple

Examples of using the modal verb have to in the Past Simple

Alan had to wait for a long time.

Alan had to wait a long time.

Our class didn't have to plant trees. Did you have to wear uniform at school? Did you have to wear uniform at school?

Examples of using the modal verb have to in the Future Simple

They will have to prepare a project. They need to prepare a project. My brother won't have to walk the dog. My brother won't need to walk the dog. Will Ann and John have to take maths exam? Will Ann and John have to take a maths exam? Examples of using the modal verb have to to express necessity They have to wear uniform. ( The school exam) Peter had to read two books a week. (To prepare for the exam) I’ll have to water my mother’s flowers during two weeks. (My mother won’t be at home, so I will do it instead of her) I will have to water my mother’s flowers for two weeks. (She won't be home, and I'll do it for her)

Examples of using the modal verb have to to express confidence

It has to be Michael's car. I saw photos of his car.

This is probably Michael's car. I saw photos of his car.

That has to have been Sara. They said she was slim and tall.

Most likely it was Sarah. They said she was slim and tall.

Negative form

Examples of using the negative form of the modal verb have to

You don't have to read that book.

You don't have to read that book.

John doesn't have to take chemistry exam.

John didn't have to take the chemistry exam.

They won't have to pay for dinner.

They won't have to pay for lunch.

Important!

if a negative adverb or pronoun is used in a sentence, for example never, then the particle not is not used. With one verb there can be only one negation:

Allan never has to think about job.

Alan never has to think about work.

Watch the video

It has a very wide application both independently and in conjunction with other words. In addition, there are many overlapping areas with other similar verbs.

Need to vs. have to

In order to talk about the need to do something, you can use the verb need to.

You might need to see a doctor/ You might need to see a doctor.

A number of questions need to be asked/ A certain number of questions must be asked.

To explain that someone did something that was not at all necessary to do, need not have or needn't have is used and Often this construction refers to cases where, at the time of the action, the performer himself did not suspect that there was no need in committing such.

I needn’t have waited until the game began/ I didn’t have to wait until the game began.

Nell needn’t have worked/ Nell didn’t have to work.

They needn't have worried about Reagan/ They didn't have to worry about Reagan.

If the performer at the moment of performing the action knew that there was no need for the action, then it would be more appropriate to say didn’t need to. This clarification is explained by the fact that in the present tense we mean a hypothetical necessity in general, and in the past tense we mean a specific action performed without necessity.

They didn't need to talk about it/ They shouldn't have talked about it.

I didn’t need to worry/ I didn’t need to worry.

Also, with the difference that with didn’t need to, the speaker is not sure whether the incident actually took place until he receives Additional information, for this you can use didn’t and modal verb have to. Examples:

He didn’t have to speak/ He didn’t need to speak.

Bill and I didn’t have to pay/ Bill and I didn’t have to pay.

Must vs. have to

Must, have to are sometimes interchangeable. Thus, the verb have comes to the aid of must in the past tense if you need to emphasize something that should not have happened in the past. You can replace must with It was necessary, It was important not to, had to make sure, had to make certain and the like had to, the modal verb in conjunction with them means “it was important/necessary”, or “it was important/necessary” make sure".

It was necessary that no one was aware of being watched/ It was absolutely necessary that no one suspected that he was being watched.

You had to make sure that you didn’t spend too much/ You should have made sure that you didn’t spend too much.

We had to do our best to make certain that it wasn’t out of date/ We had to do everything in our power to make sure that it was not out of date.

It was important not to take the game too seriously/ It was important not to take the game too seriously.

Should and ought vs. have to

Should and ought can be used to indicate a moderate need, that is, the feeling of necessity is not as strong as if we used must.

Should and ought are very common in spoken English. Should, being a true modal verb, requires the use of the subsequent verb in its base form. And ought requires a to-infinitive after itself. Negation with these verbs looks like should not, shouldn't, ought not, oughtn't and means that there is a moderate need not to do something.

There are three cases in which should, ought is used:

1) When we're talking about about performing some positive or correct action.

We should send her a postcard. / We should send her a postcard.

2) When you want to advise someone to do or not do something.

You should claim your pension 3-4 months before you retire. / You must apply for pension 3-4 months before leaving.

3) When you express your point of view or ask someone else's opinion. At the same time, in order to start a sentence, they often use: I think, I don’t think, or Do you think.

I think that we should be paid more. / I think we should pay more.

Try to distinguish between cases in which should, ought and the modal verb have to are used. The exercises below contain blanks, fill them in:

We _______ spend all the money. / We don't have to spend all the money.

He ______ come more often. / He should come more often.

You ______ see him again. / You shouldn't see him again.

You ______ use a detergent. / You shouldn't use detergent.

You ______ get a new TV. / You need a new TV.

You ______ marry him. You shouldn't marry him.

I don’t think we ______ grumble. / I don't think we should complain.

Do you think he ______ go? / Do you think he shouldn't go?

What do you think we ______ do? / What do you think we should do?

To say that there was a moderate need to do something in the past, but the action was not performed, use should have or ought to have with the past participle. For example, if it says I should have given him the money yesterday, it means that yesterday there was a moderate need to transfer money, but the money was not transferred.

I should have finished my drink and gone home. / I should have finished my drink and gone home.

You should have realized that he was joking. / You should have realized he was joking.

We ought to have stayed in tonight. / We should have stayed that night.

They ought to have taken a taxi. / They should have called a taxi.

If you want to say that it was important not to do something in the past, but, nevertheless, it was done, should not have, ought not to have are used. For example, if it is said: I should not have left the door open, it is implied that it was important that someone did not leave the door open, but the door nevertheless remained open.

I shouldn't have said that. / I shouldn't have said that.

You should not have given him the money. / I shouldn't have given him the money.

They ought not to have told him. / They shouldn't have told him.

She oughtn’t to have sold the ring. / She shouldn't have sold the ring.

Had better

To indicate a moderate need to do something in a particular situation, we use had to. The modal verb loses to and adds better, forming had better, accompanied by the verb in the base form. Had better can also be used to give advice or to express your point of view on any issue. Although usually placed immediately after had to, the modal verb and not in this case are separated better. The negative form looks like had better not.

I think I had better show this to you now. / I think it's better to show it to you now.

You'd better go tomorrow. / You better go tomorrow.

Although had better resembles in form it is never used for moderate necessity in the past. Moreover, the correct form is always had better (it is not said have better).

I'd better not look at this. / It’s better for me not to look at it.

Thus, in the range of values ​​of have there are many individual semantic units that do not always behave according to general logic. For example, had to (modal verb have to in form II) does not always indicate the past tense.

Consider the modal verb have to / have got to V English language, its usage and tense forms with examples and translation.

Modal verb Have to and its meaning

People who are not native speakers have a difficult situation with this branch of grammar; in fact, modal verbs sometimes mean the same thing.

For example,

Have to or Must?

Must(should) is based on personal requests, and the modal verb have to(obliged) due to circumstances from outside and represents the lack of an alternative when asked. Let's look at an example:

🔊 You must go on a budget. - You must go to the budget.
(your family, in principle, will be able to afford your paid education, but they would like to protect themselves from such expenses, you should have a choice)

🔊 You have to go on a budget. - You must go to the budget.
(you have no choice, your family won't be able to pay your education, so you have to (obliged) to try)

Important Features Have to

Important! Distinctive features modal verbs have to And have got to are: the self-sufficiency of these verbs (they can express the category of person and number) and, unlike other modal English verbs, a particle is used before the main verb after them to.

To have and have to should not be confused

Verb to have is translated “to have / own”, and the modal verb have to- “obliged / must”. Below are examples of sentences.

🔊 I have a phone. - I have a phone.

🔊 I have to go.- I have to go.

Absolutely different meanings, is not it?

Have to forms

Comment! Interrogative and negative forms of the modal verb have to formed together with an auxiliary verb to do(See example sentences below the summary table).

Present Simple:
a) Statement
🔊She has to come to the office at the right time. - She must come to the office at the right time.
b) Denial
🔊 I graduated from school and I don't have to do my homework anymore. - I graduated from school and I'm more is not obliged to to do homework.
c) Question
🔊 Does she have to do this project? — Should will she do this project?

Past Simple:
a) Statement
🔊 I had to write to him. - I should have write him.
b) Denial
🔊 I didn't have to ask her about her age. - I shouldn't have ask her about her age.
c) Question
🔊 Did I have to help you? - I should have can I help you?

Future Simple:
a) Statement
🔊 Jane will have to go at 7 PM. — Jane have to go at 7 pm.
b) Denial
🔊 Isabella won't have to write this work. — Isabella you won't have to write this work.
c) Question
🔊 Will I have to do this exercise? - To me have to do this exercise?

What is the difference between Have got to and Have to?

In addition to tense forms, the modal verb have to there is a form have got to(she met above). The difference between these forms is practically not noticeable. So, have got to used in British English mainly only in the present tense and indicates a specific, non-repeating action.

The modal verb Have to is used:

• when we are forced (not obliged) to do something due to external circumstances (not of our own free will);

In order to exist in this world, we have to do things every day that duty dictates, that we are obliged to do, whether we want it or not. Modal have to in English is used precisely to denote this kind of obligation. In other words, if the speaker means that he must do something not of his own free will, but because such are the circumstances or a sense of duty requires it, have to is used.

Have got to VS have to

Have to has another option, have got to. It is not to be confused with the function verb, which means "to have".

Unlike have to, which indicates a repeated action, have got to is used when the speaker means something specific.

For example:

• I have to write these letters whatever happens - I must write these letters, no matter what happens.
  • I have got to write to him, don’t you understand it? - I have to write to him. Do not you understand?
• I have to visit her every day, as my mom said - I have to visit her every day, as my mother said.
  • I have got to go to her place, will you go with me? - I have to visit her, will you come with me?

In all cases, the action performed by the speaker is dictated by a sense of duty, and not by internal motives.

In practice in colloquial speech the option have to is more often used to denote both a repeated and a specific single action.

Modal verb have to as a replacement for must and needn’t

In some cases, have to and have got to replace must, although they are not its direct equivalents. So, if must cannot be used grammatically, have to is used. This rule is valid for expressing should in the past and future tense, as well as in negative expressions. For example:

• I must help him - I must help him.
• I had to help him - I had to help him.
• I will have to help him - I will have to help him.
• I don’t have to help him - I shouldn’t have helped him.

Please note that in the negative sentence the form mustn’t was not used because it is translated not “must not”, but “impossible”. For comparison:

• You mustn’t go there, it’s too dangerous for a kid - You can’t go there, it’s very dangerous for a child.
• You don’t have to go there, it’s not your work to pick berries – You don’t have to go there, picking berries is not your task.

In the case of needn’t, some confusion arises when translating into Russian. This verb also means “not necessary,” but its original meaning is much softer. So, when needn’t slips into speech, it means that there is no need to do something, that it is not necessary. When translated into Russian, phrases with needn’t and don’t have to will sound almost the same. In order to make an adequate translation into English, pay attention to the following. what meaning was put into the phrase in the original language. In other words, look into the context and make a contextual translation.

Grammatical features of the modal verb have to

The uniqueness of have to is that, firstly, it is followed by the particle to, although any textbook on English grammar will write that after modals the so-called bare infinitive is used, that is, the infinitive without the particle to. Compare:

• I can do it, but you have to help us while he must check everything. “I can do it, but you have to help us, and he has to check everything.”

This sentence contains three model verbs at once, but only have to has an infinitive particle after it.

The next feature of the verb is that, unlike most, it requires the use of an auxiliary verb of the appropriate tense. For example:

• I don’t have to tell you about it, it is against the rules of the game, you know - I shouldn’t tell you this, it’s against the rules of the game, and you know it.
• Do you have to stay here all the time? Why don’t you come and walk a bit? - Do you have to be here all the time? Why don't you go out and walk a little?
• He is so rich that he doesn't have to earn money working hard and he doesn't know what it means to make the ends meet - He is so rich that he doesn't need to earn money by hard work and he doesn't know what it means to make ends meet with ends.

Pretend verb

Have to can be a real challenge for people starting to learn a language. It's all about the coincidence of the form have to with its analogues in Present and Past Perfect. But this is difficult only at first glance. Let's look at this in a little more detail.

The main reason for the confusion is in the verb have. It can be both semantic and auxiliary. So when the same verb appears in a modal function, people get confused. In order to determine the function of the verb in each specific case, you will first need a thorough knowledge of grammar. So the difference between modal, auxiliary and functional will be obvious. For example:

• I have a lot to tell you, let’s sit and talk. “I have a lot to tell you, let’s sit down and talk.”
• I have to tell you a lot. Let's sit and talk. - I have a lot to tell you. Let's sit down and talk.
• I have told you a lot. Let's discuss it. - I told you a lot. Let's discuss this.

Each sentence contains the verb have. In the first, it is a simple functional verb “to have”. In this case, it is meant that the speaker has certain information. After have there is a noun and an article immediately follows. This is the main clue. Functional verbs are always followed by a noun or pronoun.

In the second case, after have there is a particle to, and then another verb tell. The conjunction verb+verb indicates that in this case have to carries a semantic connotation of modality and is translated “should.”

Finally, in the third sentence, after have comes the third form of the verb to tell - told. This is a hint that we have before us - have as an auxiliary verb for the Present Perfect tense.

Thus, despite the fact that the verb to have occurs in a variety of variants, it is not difficult to determine its function in each specific case. The main thing is to know the basic rules for connecting words in a sentence. English is an analytical language, so word order is fixed. This makes it easier for all language learners.