The phrase “have to” is used to talk about obligations or things that are necessary to do. The meaning is similar to “must,” but “have to” is more common in everyday English. It changes depending on the tense (present, past, or future).
- Present Simple: “I have to wake up early for work.” (obligation now)
- Past Simple: “She had to finish her homework last night.” (past obligation)
- Future (will): “We will have to leave early tomorrow.” (future obligation)
Table of Forms
Present Simple
| Person | Positive | Negative | Interrogative |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | I have to work today. | I don’t have to work today. | Do I have to work today? |
| You | You have to study. | You don’t have to study. | Do you have to study? |
| He/She/It | He has to go now. | He doesn’t have to go now. | Does he have to go now? |
| We | We have to clean up. | We don’t have to clean up. | Do we have to clean up? |
| They | They have to be on time. | They don’t have to be on time. | Do they have to be on time? |
Past Simple
| Person | Positive | Negative | Interrogative |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | I had to finish my project. | I didn’t have to finish it. | Did I have to finish it? |
| You | You had to call her. | You didn’t have to call her. | Did you have to call her? |
| He/She/It | He had to stay late. | He didn’t have to stay late. | Did he have to stay late? |
| We | We had to travel yesterday. | We didn’t have to travel. | Did we have to travel? |
| They | They had to wait for hours. | They didn’t have to wait. | Did they have to wait? |
Future (Will)
| Person | Positive | Negative | Interrogative |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | I will have to go to school. | I won’t have to go to school. | Will I have to go to school? |
| You | You will have to cook dinner. | You won’t have to cook dinner. | Will you have to cook dinner? |
| He/She/It | She will have to work tomorrow. | She won’t have to work tomorrow. | Will she have to work tomorrow? |
| We | We will have to take a taxi. | We won’t have to take a taxi. | Will we have to take a taxi? |
| They | They will have to study hard. | They won’t have to study hard. | Will they have to study hard? |
More Examples
Present Simple:
- I have to charge my phone before the meeting.
- She has to reply to her emails this morning.
- They don’t have to come to the office today.
Past Simple:
- I had to fix my laptop yesterday.
- He didn’t have to cook because they ordered food.
- Did they have to wait long for the bus?
Future (Will):
- We will have to pack our bags tonight.
- You won’t have to wake up early tomorrow.
- Will she have to present the project at the meeting?
Keep learning:
Go to this post to learn more about using ‘must’ in English.
Go here to learn how to use ‘should’ in English.
In this post, you’ll learn more about using ‘can’ and ‘could’ in English.
If you click here, you can learn more about ‘may’ and ‘might’ in English.
Here’s a text about using ‘need to’ and ‘have got to’ as modal verbs in English.
Here’s how ‘will’ and ‘would’ are used in English.