In English, we often see verbs such as: must, have to, should. Many people have difficulty using these verbs. Let's look at each of them separately.

Modal verb must in English

In the positive form of a sentence, the modal verb must means should. It is important to remember that the next verb, which comes after the modal verb, is written without the particle to.

I must work hard every day. I have to work hard every day.

I must learn English. I have to study English.

You must be polite. You must be polite.

They must drive carefully. They must drive the car carefully.

In its negative form, the modal verb mustn"t (must not) has the meaning impossible. That is, the modal verb mustn"t is used when something is forbidden to someone.

You mustn't drink cold water. You shouldn't drink cold water.

She mustn't be at school. She shouldn't be at school.

Now let's look at how to answer questions with the modal verb must.

Must I stay in the box? - Yes, you must. Should I stay in the box? - Yes.

Must he go? - No, he needn't. Should he go? - No, he doesn't need it. In a negative answer, we use needn"t (need not).

Modal verb have to in English

In the positive form of the sentence, the modal verb have to has the meaning of having to (that is, forced necessity).

In the negative form of the sentence, the modal verb don"t have to / doesn"t have to does not necessarily have a meaning (that is, the absence of necessity).

You don't have to do the work. You don't have to do this work.

Today is Sunday, so she doesn't have to wake up early. Today is Sunday, so she doesn't have to get up early.

Modal verb should in English

In the positive form, the modal verb should means follows, in the negative form it means should not. That is, this verb is used when talking about any friendly, unobtrusive advice or recommendation.

Our whole life consists of rules and obligations: we must or are obliged to do something, we have to do something, we have to obey some rules. In English to express a function obligations And obligations (obligation [ˌɔblɪ"geɪʃ(ə)n]) there is a modal verb must . Must indicates the obligation and necessity of performing some action. Must, like some other modal verbs, has a substitute (equivalent) - have to .

In this article we will talk about the modal verb must and its equivalent have to, consider the grammatical features of their use, as well as the differences in meaning.

Grammatical features of the verb must.

Must is a modal verb, so it does not change in gender and number and is used with the main verb in first form (V1):

In the must statement it is translated as “must, obliged”:

I must listen to the teacher at the lesson. - I have to listen to the teacher in class.

He must pay me back tomorrow. - He must pay me back tomorrow.

We must pay the taxes. - We have to pay taxes.

To form a negative form, add to the verb must negative particle not, abbreviated mustn't:

You mustn't open the door.
She mustn"t tell this information to anyone.
They mustn't use their mobiles at the meeting.

Please note that the abbreviation negative form pronounced ["mʌs(ə)nt] or ["mʌsnt]. We will leave examples of negatives without translation for now; in the next part of the article you will find out why.

To form the interrogative form, must is placed before the subject:

The most common mistake is using the particle to with the modal verb must. Remember the rule: with modal verbs to is NEVER used. However, this rule does not apply to equivalents of modal verbs.

Equivalent to must: have to.

Must, like most modal verbs, does not have past or future tenses, infinitives, gerunds, or participles. What if we need to express the function of obligation in the past tense or in the future, or we want to say a super complex construction with an infinitive or gerund?

There is an equivalent for this must: have to. Unlike must, have to has several forms: two forms of the present tense ( have to / has to ), past tense form ( had to ) and future tense ( will have to):

I must work every day/ now. - I have to work every day.

I had to work yesterday. - I had to/I had to work yesterday.

I will have to work tomorrow. - I have to work tomorrow.

If it is necessary to use an infinitive, gerund or participle form, have to is also used. Such sentences are translated into Russian in different ways:

It's terrible to have to work long hours. - It's terrible when you have to work late.

We hate having to clear up the mess after cooking. - We hate that we have to clean up after cooking.

Having to look after my sister, I couldn't go out. - Since I had to look after my sister, I couldn't go for a walk.

Let's look at a table that shows the different types of statements with must in different tenses:

Have to not only replaces must in the past and future tense, but is also used in the present tense, along with must. The third person singular (he, she, it) uses the form has :

I have to call him. - He has to call me.

We have to organize this event. - She has to organize this event.

In the present tense, the negative and interrogative forms are formed using auxiliary verbs do And does . Pay attention to the examples, which we will leave without translation for now:

Do you have to wait for him?
Does she have to pay for this picture?
We don't have to give excuses.
He doesn't have to arrive earlier.

In the past time have to And has to take the form had to:

I had to visit him yesterday.
She had to find the information.
They had to spend the evening with their parents.

Past tense negative and interrogative form equivalent have to is formed using the auxiliary verb did:

I didn't have to call them yesterday.
He didn't have to ask for help.
They didn't have to pay in cash.

Did you have to deal with phone calls?
Did she have to sort out the papers?
Did we have to finish the project yesterday?

In the future tense, different types of utterances with have to are formed using the auxiliary verb will:

We will have to work on Saturday.
She will have to catch up with the group.
They won't have to read the rules again.
You won't have to answer the phone.
Will he have to book the tickets in advance?
Will they have to leave their coats in the cloakroom?

Meanings.

We will devote a separate part of our article to analyzing the meanings must And have to in different types of utterances.

Must and have to in statements.

As already stated above, must in the statement conveys obligation, duty, necessity(obligation, necessity): must, must.

Have to can also be used in present tense affirmative sentences. The meanings of must and have to are different, despite the similar translation. Let's look at two similar examples:

I must go home. - I have to go home.
I have to go home. - I have to go home.

Must conveys an internal obligation, that is, something that the speaker considers obligatory to fulfill because he I decided so myself; have to indicates an external obligation: something that is imposed by someone, prescribed by some rules. Let's look at examples:

I promised mother not to be late today. I must go home now. - I promised my mother not to be late today. I have to go home.
(Internal commitment: the speaker himself made the decision)

The party is awesome but mother called me and told to go home. I have to go home. - The party is amazing, but my mother called me and told me to go home. I have to go home.
(External obligation, coercion: the speaker does not make the decision himself)

I "ve put on weight. I must cut down on chocolate. - I have gained weight. I must eat less chocolate.
(Personal decision)

I saw my doctor yesterday. I have to cut down on chocolate. - I met with the doctor yesterday. I need/should eat less chocolate.
(Doctor's order)

He must go to London to visit his family. - He must go to London to visit his family.
(He himself decided to go and considers it his duty)

She has to go to Berlin to negotiate the contract. - She must/she will have to go to Berlin to negotiate the terms of the contract.
(The decision was made by her superiors, she will have to carry it out)

We must work hard if we want to pass the exam. - We have to work hard if we want to pass the exam.
(We understand the importance of the exam)

We have to wear school uniform. - We must wear school uniforms.
(This is imposed on us, this is not our decision).

Must and have to in negatives.

Have to and must in negatives are a clear example of how logic can lead to misunderstanding and mistakes. Based on the fact that must And have to mean almost the same thing in statements (with the exception of the above nuances), sometimes students believe that in negatives they should have the same meaning. This is fundamentally wrong, because in negative sentences must And have to completely different in meaning.

Mustn't transmits ban(prohibition), translated "not allowed, forbidden". Let's look at the examples that we previously left without translation:

You mustn"t open this door. - This door is prohibited from opening.

She mustn"t share this information with anyone. - She is prohibited from sharing this information.

They mustn"t use their mobiles at the meeting. - They are prohibited from using mobile phones at the meeting.

It is also used to express the prohibition function in English.

Don't have to means there is no need ( lack of necessity ). Don"t have to in negatives can be translated as "this is not necessary; no need":

You don"t have to bring vine. I have bought enough. - You don’t have to bring wine. I bought enough.

We don"t have to give excuses. - We don’t have to apologize.

He doesn't have to arrive earlier. - He doesn't have to arrive earlier.

Besides don't have to no need to convey expressions don't need to And needn"t :

You don"t have to help me. = You don"t need to help me. = You needn"t help me. - You don’t have to help me.

Negation in the past tense didn"t have to indicates the absence of the need to do something (" there was no need", "didn't have to"):

I didn't have to take a bus. The shop was round the corner. - I didn't have to take the bus. The shop was around the corner.

She didn't have to introduce herself. We had met before. - She didn’t have to introduce herself. We met before.

Must and have to in questions.

Must and have to have different meanings in questions.

When asked a question with must, they want to know personal attitude of the interlocutor whether he insists on action, whether he considers action necessary:

A question with have to clarifies whether an action is necessary for the speaker:

Do you have to wait for him? - Do you have to wait for him?

Do we have to book a table? - Do we have to book a table?

Let's look again at the differences in meanings must And have to in different types of utterances:

Necessity for the future.

The need for the future is expressed by the form will have to, but if we are talking about agreements(arrangement), then it is preferable to use have to. Compare:

If I get this job, I will have to work hard. - If I get this position, I will have to work hard. (I haven't received the position yet)

This is a very important task so I have to work tomorrow. - This is a very important task, so I will have to work tomorrow. (Agreement, specific situation in future)

The design may be used to indicate future need have got to. Meaning and translation is the same as have to, but is mainly used in colloquial speech:

I"ve got to e-mail him today. - I need to send him a letter today.

She "s got to babysit her brother tomorrow. - She must sit with her brother tomorrow.

Don't forget that the modal verb must has other functions besides obligation. For example, used for .

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We have already written articles about modal verbs, that they are a very important component of English, and, in addition, we have sorted out what they eat with "can", "may" And "must". However, there are still modal verbs that we did not have time to talk about last time. Let's correct ourselves and talk about "have to", "ought to", "should", "need", "will" And "shall".

Must and Have to: find the differences

About "have to" There are many opinions and debates, but still it is traditionally classified as a group of modal verbs. "Have to" translated as “should”, but still slightly different from "must" according to the semantic connotation: if the second implies a strict obligation, rules that must certainly be followed, then "have to" the meaning is a little softer; often its translation “should” means, rather, “was forced.” The past form of the verb sounds like "had to":

• I had to stop and get out of the car (“I had to stop and get out of the car”);
• Do you have to wash the dishes right now? Everyone is waiting for us (“Do you need to wash the dishes right now? Everyone is waiting for us”);
• She doesn’t have to be clever, he likes her anyway because she is so beautiful (“She doesn’t need to be smart, he still likes her because of her beauty”).

Ought to: what and why?

Continuing to talk about modal verbs with the meaning of obligation, we should mention "ought to". Again, it is not as strong in semantic connotation as "must", but one step higher in this regard than "should". "Ought to" used when talking about the need to do something ( necessity) and responsibilities/duty ( duty), including moral ( moral obligation):

• We ought to help her, she has lost everything (“We have to help her, she lost everything”) – moral obligation;
• You ought to stop being late every day (“You must stop being late every day”) – duty;
• We ought to rearrange our plans (“We need to reconsider our plans”).

Despite the fact that most often "ought to" used to denote situations in the present and future tense, its use in the past is also possible by adding “have”: “We ought to have helped her, she had lost everything” (“We had to help her, she lost everything” - it is implied that it was a moral duty to help her, but despite this, no help was provided).

We must not forget about "should". This modal verb is used in several cases: when we want to give advice to someone ( advice), we talk about the likelihood of something in the future ( prediction) and imply any obligation ( obligation), albeit not as strong in meaning as in "must":

• You should go and see your dentist (“You should go to your dentist”) – advice;
• It’s so sunny today, I think tomorrow the weather should be fine too (“Today is so sunny, I think the weather will be just as great tomorrow”) – prediction;
• If you see an elderly person carrying heavy bags, you should help him (“If you see an elderly person carrying heavy bags, you must help him”) – obligation.

"Should" can also be used in the past tense when talking about something that (should not) have been done in the past, but this action was never performed (or it was performed, but it would have been better if it had not been performed). For example, “You should have driven more carefully, you had a terrible accident” or “He is such a cheap seducer, she shouldn't have believed him.” You shouldn’t have trusted him, he’s just a cheap seducer”).

Will vs shall

"Will" is already familiar to many from its regular use in sentences in the future tense and subordinate clauses, where its past tense form can also be used "would". So we use "will" to talk about what we think will happen in the future ( predictions), as well as offers ( offers) and the desire to do something ( willingness):

• You will be late, Jack, please hurry up (“You will be late, Jack, please hurry up”) – predictions;
• I will give you a lift after the party (“I’ll give you a lift after the party”) – offer;
• I will see you tomorrow and take out for a dinner (“We’ll see you tomorrow and I’ll take you somewhere for dinner”).

"Would" we use when we talk about the future from the perspective of the past, or when we use subordinate conditions: “I thought he would live in a fool's paradise forever” (“I thought he would forever wear rose-colored glasses”) or “If I had known it that day, I would have never forgiven him" (“If I had known about this on that day, I would never have forgiven him”).

“Would” is also often used when making polite requests, suggestions, and expressing preferences:

• Would you mind if I carry your bag? (“Do you mind if I carry your bag?)”
• Would you like a cup of coffee?
• I would rather stay home and watch this new DVD now (“I would rather stay home and watch this new DVD”).

Formally "shall" is also one of the modal verbs and can be used to denote the future tense and sentences (“I shall bake a cake for your birthday”, “Shall I give you a lift tomorrow?”), but is objectively considered to be somewhat outdated, so it is practically not used , especially in informal oral conversation. Also shall v can be used as sentences, promises and orders, as the stricter form of should.

Need: are verbs semi-modal?

Despite the fact that “need” cannot be called a modal verb in the full sense of the word, it is considered semi-modal, because sometimes functions as a modal and sometimes as a regular one. As a modal verb, we tend to use "need" in negative sentences when we want to tell the other person that there is no need or obligation to do something:

• You needn’t cook dinner, it’s already on the table (“You don’t need to cook dinner, it’s already on the table”);
• You needn’t read this now (“No need to read this now”).

It must have been love...

And finally, we have collected for you modal verbs that sound in the lines of songs. Agree, it’s a special pleasure to combine business with pleasure when you can listen to your favorite music and train at the same time English grammar, subtly distinguishing the reason for the use of one or another modal verb?

• It must have been love (Roxette, ‘It must have been love’);
• I still can’t believe that you are right next to me after all that I’ve done (Plumb ‘Don’t deserve you’);
• Seasons may change, winter to spring (Moulin Rouge, ‘Come what may’);
• I will always believe in good (Nail Shary, ‘I will always believe in good’).

We hope you know that we have a section that examines compositions by popular artists. If not, we recommend that you take a look there.

And if you want to learn even more about modal verbs, you can watch from our teachers and do the exercises.

these verbs have “two sides of the coin.” but usually they only tell you about one. it's time to find out the whole truth.

in affirmation and negation the meanings change to the opposite

🔹 I must do it - must due to internal needs - obligation to achieve personal goals, only MY interests. I must drink something.

I have to do it - must due to external conditions - forced action, the interests of OTHER people are involved. I have to work 5 days a week.

🔹I must NOT do it - should not, because the ban - the interests of OTHER people are involved. I must not drive on the left side of the road.

I do NOT have to do it - should not, because there is no need - other people don’t care, only MY interests. I do not have to drink milk every day.

🔹I should do it - should, it would be necessary, should, should - not necessarily, but highly desirable to achieve either only your own goals or those common to others. I should drink green tea every day.

can - could. difference

🔹 come from CAN two different COULDs. MOG is in the past tense. fully could, 100%. I could drink two cups of tea this morning, and I did it.

and COULD in the present and future, by 20%. those. subject to certain conditions. I could drink some milk today, but I don’t like it.

if you need to say: could HAVE DONE in the past, then this already could HAVE DONE. [by the way, this is also how the verb should behaves]. I could/should have drunk some milk this morning, but I didn’t have any milk at home.

🔹 MUST can act as HAVE TO in the present and future. and necessarily manifests itself as HAD TO in the past.

When I was learning English, it was very difficult for me to figure it out on my own. so I have summarized my understanding into tables for you.

There is a whole category of words in English that can safely be called special, different from other groups of vocabulary. These words are modal verbs: Can, Could, Must, May, Might, Should, Need, Have to. Although they are not used as independent lexical units, since they express only the necessity, ability or possibility of performing an action, their role in the language is incredibly large. What are these words and when are they used?

Can

Can is rightfully considered the most common word in the modal group. Thanks to him, we can report that we know/can do something or are capable of something.

Can is used to indicate:

• intellectual or physical real ability to accomplish something;
• requests, permission, prohibition;
• doubts, mistrust, surprise.

But it is necessary to remember that the modal verb can itself does not denote an action, therefore it must be followed by another verb that directly indicates the execution of the process. This rule applies to all other words discussed below.

Could

Must

The modal verb must denotes obligation, namely:

• an obligation or a certain duty due to personal beliefs, principles, traditions;
• advice, recommendation or order;
• probability/supposition of the action taking place.

Must is used not only in the present tense, but also in the future. It is important to remember that in all cases its shape does not change.

May

The modal verb may indicates the possibility of performing an action or the assumption of such a possibility. IN general meaning it can be translated as you can/can/can, etc. May is used when it is necessary to express:

• the objective possibility of performing an action that is not prevented by anything or anyone;
• formal request or permission;
• an assumption caused by doubt.

Might

Might is the past tense form of May. Also used to indicate the possibility/request/suggestion of performing an action. One of special meanings words Might - an expression of slight condemnation or disapproval. It is interesting that although the modal verb might is considered a past tense form, it is used to denote the execution of a process both in the present and in the future.

The modal verb should is similar in meaning to Must, but is not as strict. Thus, Should is used when the task is to express an obligation or duty, stylistically weakened to a recommendation or advice. Should is also used to denote reproach or regret due to the fact that the desired action was not previously performed or can no longer be performed.

Need

The modal verb need should be used to express a need or urgent need to carry out an action. Accordingly, if Need is present in a negative construction, it denotes the lack of need/permission to do something. Need is also found in interrogative constructions - here it indicates doubts about the advisability of performing the process in question.

The main distinctive feature of Have to is that it denotes the obligation to perform actions due to specific circumstances. Based on this, the modal verb have to is recommended to be used only when it is necessary to indicate the compulsion of actions due to the current situation, and not personal desires. Have to can be used in all tenses, but each has its own form: present - Have to or Has to, past - Had to, future - Will have to.

Without a doubt, without modal verbs it is impossible to construct competent and stylistically neat speech. Therefore, when choosing ways to study in English, which you can familiarize yourself with, be sure to include the study of this category of vocabulary in your chosen methodology. Moreover, now you have a useful theoretical basis that will help you successfully cope with the task.