Must and Have To — Obligation in Every Tense
Practice must and have to: has to, had to, will have to and questions with do/does — the forms must doesn't have.
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You must ___ a seatbelt in the car — it's the law.
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wear
After 'must', use the base verb with no 'to': 'must wear'. 'Must to wear' is a very common mistake.
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I ___ work late yesterday, so I missed the film.
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had to
'Must' has no past form. For an obligation in the past ('yesterday'), use 'had to'.
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My brother ___ wear a suit at work, but I can wear jeans.
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has to
'Have to' works like a normal verb, so it takes -s after 'he/she': 'my brother has to'. 'Must' is never followed by 'to'.
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___ she have to work this weekend?
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Does
'Have to' isn't a modal — it makes questions with 'do/does' like a normal verb. With 'she', use 'Does': 'Does she have to work?'
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If you lose your ticket, you ___ buy a new one.
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will have to
'Must' has no future form and can't follow 'will'. For a future obligation, use 'will have to'.
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When my grandmother was young, she ___ walk five kilometres to school every day.
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had to
'When she was young' is the past, and 'must' has no past form → 'had to'. 'Has to' is present.
Must and Have To: Forms for Every Tense
Must and have to both express obligation, and in positive present sentences they are close in meaning: You must wear a seatbelt, You have to wear a seatbelt. Must, however, exists in one form only. For everything else, have to takes over and behaves like an ordinary verb. It takes -s after he and she (My brother has to wear a suit), moves into the past as had to (I had to work late yesterday), into the future as will have to (You'll have to buy a new ticket), and forms questions with do or does (Does she have to work this weekend?). The most frequent errors come from mixing the two systems: must to, will must, Does he has to and I must work late yesterday.
Last updated: · Satori Editorial