IN English language The importance of modal verbs is difficult to overestimate. In order to use them correctly, you need to remember a few simple rules.

So, I dedicate this article to the modal verbs have to, need to, should and ought to.

Modal verb have/has to.

Have/has to– “must/should.” most often in conversational English speech“have to” is used. Used at all times. With the pronouns “I, you, we, they” you must use “have”, and with “he, she, it” you must use “has”. This rule also applies to the following modal verb.

I have to feed my dog ​​in an hour.

(I have to feed my dog ​​in an hour)

She has to look after my kids during these two hours.

(She must look after my children during these two hours)

Have/has got to– “must/should.” In fact, there is no difference in meaning between "have got to" and "have to". But there is one peculiarity. “Have got to” is used only in the affirmative form in the present tense. If you forget this rule and use it, for example, in an interrogative sentence, it will be a grave mistake.

We have got to rest after this hard work.

(We should rest after this hard work)

Modal verb must.

Must– “must/should.” The thing about "must" is that it is a very formal verb. In everyday speech it is not used, but "have (got) to". That is, the word is suitable for official communications, for the speech of politicians, in official documentation, etc. And yet, “must” is used only in the present tense, but unlike “have got to”, it can be used in both negative and interrogative sentences.

The whole world must do something to prevent global warming.

(The whole world must do something to prevent global warming)

Modal verb need to.

Need to– “need”, unlike the previous modal verbs, “need to” is a less “categorical” option. That is, you don’t have to, you don’t have to do something, you just need to do it.

Our company needs to hire some new employees.

(Our company needs to hire new employees)

Modal verb should.

Should– “should/must have, should.” "Should" expresses:

1. Expressing an opinion;

I thing you should visit George before his departure.

(I think you should visit George before he leaves)

2. Expression of expectation;

His train should arrive soon.

(His train should arrive soon)

3. Regret about the past.

I should have guessed that he cheated on me.

(I should have known he was cheating on me)

P.S. In the future tense, you cannot use “will” together with “should”, but the correct word would be “should be able to”.

We should be able to achieve our goal.

(We must be able to achieve our goal)

Ought to– “should/must have, should.” “Ought to” and “should” are the same thing, it’s just that “ought to” is the official version of “should.”

Our manager ought to change his job.

(Our manager should change his job)

Now you know all the modal verbs in English. Have fun studying with us!

» Necessity modal verbs: have to, must, need to, should, ought to.

▷ Must is a very “hard” verb that expresses the obligation or need to do something. Must is stronger than should. If in the case of should there is still some choice (to do or not to do), then in the case of must there is no choice! That's an order.

▷ Have to has the same meaning as must.

1. Must and have to are used to express the need to do something

✔ I must leave. - I must go.
✔ I have to leave. - I must go.

In this situation, must and have to are used interchangeably.

2. Difference in the use of must and have to

Must is more personal. Must is used to express personal feelings and sensations.

✔ I must do my best. - I have to do my best.

IN in this case the speaker expresses his feelings about this.

Have to is impersonal in nature. Have to is used when we're talking about about facts, not about personal feelings.

✔ I have to visit my doctor. - I have to visit my doctor.
Apparently, not everything is in order with your health, and this is a fact that you cannot argue with, and not some kind of personal feeling.

▷ Notes:
→ Sometimes the difference is use of must and have to is so subtle that it is difficult to determine which verb to use. In such situations it is better to use have to.
→ Very often sentences with MUST are addressed to children or used in advertisements:

✔ You must not drink unboiled water - You cannot drink raw water.
Visitors must not touch the exhibits – Visitors are prohibited from touching the exhibits.

3. Must - there is no past!

Remember, the verb must does not have a past tense form! Therefore, it can be used for the present and future tenses, but not for the past.

✔ We must visit a doctor now. - We must visit the doctor now.
✔ We must visit a doctor tomorrow. - We have to visit the doctor tomorrow.

4. Have to - for all forms

Unlike must, have to can be used for all forms, including the past tense.

✔ I had to visit my doctor. - I had to visit my doctor.
We can't say must here because it's past tense! Therefore, we calmly use the equivalent of must - have to!

▷ Note:
→ In British English, we often use “have got to” to mean the same as “have to”:
✔ I"ve got to take this book back to the library or I"ll get a fine.
✔ We've got to finish now as somebody else needs this room.

5. Logical inference

Must is used when the speaker is making a conclusion based on the available facts. And although he has complete confidence that his conclusion is the absolute truth, this is not far from happening. The Russian analogue is the “should be” construction. And where there should be, there must be!

✔ The ground is wet. It must have rained. - The ground is wet. It must have been raining.
The ground is wet - so we concluded that it was raining! And since our logic is ironclad, we use must! After all, it has to rain, it just can’t help but rain!

6. Mustn"t and don"t have to are two big differences!

Mustn"t = don’t do it! This is an order! (don’t do it)
Don"t have to = there is no need to do this or it is not necessary (but in principle it is possible)

✔ You mustn’t be late. - You shouldn't be late. (Don't be late! You can't be late!)
✔ You don’t have to be on time. - You don't have to be on time.
Those. you may be late. But in principle you can arrive on time.

Uses of the verb Must

1. To express urgent advice or command, both to oneself and to others.
2. To express the suggestion that something may be plausible or probable.

Features of the use of the verb Must

1. The construction must have + past participle is used to express an assumption that relates to the past.
2. Must is not used to express ought in the past tense. The verb used for this is had to.
3. Must be used in indirect speech to express a past action.

Examples

1. Must I finish this exercise now? – Should I finish this exercise now? (the need to perform an action)
2. It is almost 8 o"clock. You must hurry up - It’s almost 8 o’clock. You need to hurry up. (urgent advice or order)
3. This must be the right answer - This must be the correct answer. (expression of assumption)
4. I can't find my wallet. I must have left it at home - I can't find my wallet. I must have left his home. (an expression of an assumption that refers to the past)
5. I knew there must be some solution – I knew that it should have been some kind of solution. (used in indirect speech to express a past action)
6. You must not touch bare wires - You must not touch bare wires. (order)

#2 Modal verb Have to

Uses of the verb Have to

1. To express the need to perform an action.
2. To express the likelihood of something (more often used in American English).

Features of the use of the verb Have to

1. In interrogative and negative sentences it is used with the auxiliary verb do/does/did/will, etc.
2. Verb form changes depending on time.

Examples

1. You don"t have to make a decision right now - You don’t have to make a decision right now. (no need to take an action)
2. My sister is short-sighted. She has to wear glasses – My sister is nearsighted. She has to wear glasses. (necessity)
3. Do you have to go shopping today? We can do it tomorrow together – Do you need to go shopping today? We can do this tomorrow together. (necessity)
4. We are still on the way. It has to be further than we thought – We are still on the way. It must be further than we thought. (expression of assumption)
5. You had to turn left at the crossroads - You had to turn left at the crossroads. (not the speaker’s personal opinion, but a necessity due to certain circumstances)
6. You will have to send her an e-mail - You will have to send her an e-mail. (necessity)

#3 Modal verb Should

Uses of the verb Should

1. To express a need, advice, recommendation.

Features of the use of the verb Should

1. The construction should have + past participle is used when talking about events in the past that did not happen or could/could not happen.
2. Used in indirect speech in relation to the past tense, if the verb should was used in direct speech in the sentence. In other cases, the verb should not used in the past tense. Instead, was/were supposed to is usually used.

Note

The constructions should have + past participle and to be supposed to are close in meaning and can often be interchanged. However, the design should have + past participle carries a greater connotation of criticism and regret, while the construction to be supposed to is less categorical and more common in colloquial speech.

Examples

1. It is cold outside. You should put on a jacket – It’s cold outside. You should wear a jacket. (advice)
2. He should have learned this lesson by now - He should have already learned this lesson. (we are talking about an event in the past that could have already happened)
3. They said we should not wait for them - They said that we should not wait for them. ( indirect speech, provided that the verb should was used in direct speech)
4. Why don"t you call them? The car should be fixed by now - Why don’t you call them? The car should already be repaired. (probability)
5. Should I follow the instructions? – Should I follow the instructions? (please give advice or recommendation)
6. She was supposed to introduce me to him (NOT She should introduce me to him) – She had to introduce me to him. (we are talking about the past tense, in which case the expression was supposed to is used instead of the verb should)

#4 Modal verb Ought to

Uses of the verb Ought to

1. To express obligation, advice, recommendation.
2. To express the probability of something.

Features of the use of the verb Ought to

1. The construction is used in relation to the past time when the event did not occur.

Examples

1. You ought to listen to your parents - You must listen to your parents. (expression of obligation)
2. Hurry up! You ought not to miss your train – Hurry up! You mustn't miss your train. (advice, recommendation)
3. Ought we to start the speech now? – Should we start speaking now? (the speaker asks for advice)
4. His behavior ought to improve after this talk - His behavior should improve after this conversation. (probability expression)
5. The plane landed an hour ago. They ought to have gone through the customs by now – The plane landed an hour ago. They are already should have passed through customs. (design ought to have + past participle; The example shows that the action did not occur)

#5 Difference between Must and Have to

1. The verb Must is used to express personal feelings speaker. The verb Have to is used when speaking about facts and about necessity due to certain circumstances.
2. The verb Must is used when talking about the present or future, but not the past. The verb Have to is used in all tenses.
3. When forming negative and interrogative sentences, the verb Have to requires the use auxiliary verbs do/does/did/will, etc.
4. Must not is used when it is important not to do what is being discussed in the sentence. Do not have to is used when something is not needed, but it can be done (depending on the desire of the speaker).

Examples

1. You must change your diet to lose some weight - You must change your diet to lose weight. (personal opinion of the speaker)
2. You do not have to drink so much water - You may not drink so much water. (no need for this)
3. You must not drink so much water - You must not drink so much water. (this is a ban)
4. You have to turn left at the crossroads - You must turn left at the intersection. (not the speaker’s personal opinion, but a fact)

#6 Difference between Must and Should/Ought to

1. The verb Must expresses a higher degree of obligation. The verb Must is more often used in orders, regulations, etc. The verbs Should and Ought to are more often used in advice and recommendations.
2. In assumptions, the verbs Should and Ought to indicate a lower degree of confidence of the speaker than the verb Must.
3. In logical inferences and conclusions, the verb Must is used.

Examples

1. It is cold outside. You must wear a coat – It’s cold outside. You must put on your coat. (higher degree of obligation, order)
2. In weather like this you should wear a coat - In this weather you should wear a coat. (advice, recommendation)
3. The dinner must be ready now - Dinner must be ready. (high degree of confidence of the speaker)
4. The dinner should be ready now - Dinner should be ready. (lower degree of speaker's confidence, assumption)
5. Are they on holiday? They must be having a great time! -Are they on vacation? They must be having a great time! (logical conclusion, conclusion)

Must is a very “hard” verb that expresses the obligation or need to do something. Must stronger than should. If in case should there is still some choice (to do or not to do), then in the case must no choice! That's an order.

Have to has the same meaning as must.

1. Must and have to are used to express the need to do something.

Example

I must leave. - I must go.
I have to leave. - I must go.
In this situation must And have to are used interchangeably.

2. Difference in the use of must and have to

Must is more personal in nature. Must used to express personal feelings and sensations.

Example

I must do my best. - I have to do my best.
In this case, the speaker expresses his feelings about this matter.

Have to is impersonal in nature. Have to used when talking about facts rather than personal feelings.

Example

I have to visit my doctor. - I have to visit my doctor.
Apparently, not everything is in order with your health, and this is a fact that you cannot argue with, and not some kind of personal feeling.

Note

Sometimes the difference is in use must And have to so subtle that it is difficult to determine which verb to use. In such situations it is better to use have to.

3. Must - there is no past!

Remember, verb must has no past tense form!
Therefore, it can be used for the present and future tenses, but not for the past.

Example

We must visit a doctor now. - We must visit the doctor now.
We must visit a doctor tomorrow. - We have to visit the doctor tomorrow.

4. Have to - for all forms

Unlike must, have to can be used for all forms, including the past tense.

Example

I had to visit my doctor. - I had to visit my doctor.

We can't say here must, because time is past! Therefore, we calmly use the equivalent must - have to!

5. Logical inference

Must used when the speaker draws a conclusion based on available facts. And although he has complete confidence that his conclusion is the absolute truth, this is not far from happening. The Russian analogue is the “should be” construction. And where it should be, there it is must!

Example

The ground is wet. It must be raining. - The ground is wet. It must be raining.

The ground is wet - so we concluded that it is raining! And since our logic is ironclad, we use must! After all, it's raining must go, he just can’t help but go!

6 Mustn’t and don’t have to are two big differences

Mustn't= don't do this! That's an order! (don't do it)
Don't have to= there is no need to do this or it is not necessary (but in principle it is possible)

Examples

You mustn't be late. - You shouldn't be late.
(Don't be late! You can't be late!)

You don't have to be on time. - You don't have to be on time.
Those. you may be late. But in principle you can arrive on time.

What is the difference between must and have to in English?

Here you can find out the difference between the modal verbs must and have to.

Modal verbs in English are often similar in meaning. Their main function is to show how the speaker evaluates the action: whether it is possible or impossible, whether something should be done or not.

In order to show the obligatory nature of an action, the verbs must are usually used. and have to. For example:

I must leave now. - I need to leave right now.
I have to wear my uniform every day. - I have to wear my uniform every day.

As can be seen from the examples, must and have to have a similar meaning, but still carry different semantic connotations. It is believed that the word must gives an action increased obligation or necessity.

The difference is that the verb must is personal, that is, we ourselves decide what we must and what we do not. Meanwhile, the verb have to is more often used in situations where someone has laid down these laws for us. Let's look at one example:

I must see my dentist. - I need to go to my dentist.
I have to see my dentists twice a year. - I need to go to my dentist twice a year.

In the first example, the word must indicates an increased need and the fact that the person himself made this decision. In the second sentence, the modal verb have to indicates a slight degree of obligation and that the action was recommended to the person by someone else.

In general, must verbs and have to can be used interchangeably, especially when it is difficult to tell the difference. For example:

He must be at work at 7 am. = He has to be at work at 7 am. - He definitely (needs) to be at work at 7 am.

It’s another matter when must is used to express one’s opinion rather than an obligation. For example:

It's rather cold. It must (not ‘have to’) be snowing. - Pretty cold. It must be snowing.

There is a noticeable difference between the negative forms of verbs: mustn’t - a strict order not to do something; don’t/doesn’t have to - there is no need to do something or is optional. Let's look at a few examples:

You mustn’t be late for this meeting. - You can't be late for this meeting.
They don't have to pay the fee. - They don't have to pay.

It is noteworthy that the verb must does not have a past or future tense form. In such cases, have to replaces it. For example:

He had to prepare the written report two days ago. - He should have prepared a written report two days ago.
You will have to study hard to achieve the results. -You need to study hard to achieve results