Have to - Must

Must / Have To - Mustn't / Not Have To
Listed below are examples and uses of must / have to / mustn't / not have to

Examples Usage
We have to get up early.
She had to work hard yesterday.
They will have to arrive early.
Does he have to go?
Use 'have to' in the past, present and future to express responsibility or necessity. NOTE: 'have to' is conjugated as a regular verb and therefore requires an auxillary verb in the question form or negative.

I must finish this work before I leave.
Must you work so hard?

Use 'must' to express something that you or a person feels is necessary. This form is used only in the present and future.
You don't have to arrive before 8.
They didn't have to work so hard.

The negative form of 'have to' expresses the idea that something is not required. It is however, possible if so desired.
She mustn't use such horrible language.
Tom. You mustn't play with fire.
The negative form of 'must' expresses the idea that something is prohibitied - this form is very different in meaning than the negative of 'have to'!
Did the have to leave so early?

He had to stay overnight in Dallas.

IMPORTANT: The past form of 'have to' and 'must' is 'had to'. Must does not exist in the past.



Choose a profession from the list below and think about what a person doing that job has to do every day.


Professions and Jobs - What do they have to do?

accountant actor air steward
architect assistant author
baker builder businessman / businesswoman / executive
butcher chef civil servant
clerk computer operator / programmer cook
dentist doctor driver bus / taxi / train driver
garbageman (refuse collector) electrician engineer
farmer hairdresser journalist
judge lawyer manager
musician nurse photographer
pilot plumber police officer
politician receptionist sailor
salesman / saleswoman /salesperson scientist secretary
soldier teacher telephone operator