'Must' or 'Have To'?
2024-03-02
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1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Mequanent Antigegn.
2"Must vs have to"--I find it difficult to differentiate them.
3You must wear your uniform in the classroom.
4Or You have to wear your uniform in the classroom.
5Which one is correct?
6Thank you for this question. "Must" and "have to" can have the same meaning.
7We have talked about "must" and "have to" in an earlier Ask a Teacher.
8Both of the sentences you provide are correct.
9Sometimes it is better to choose "must" over "have to" or "have to" over "must."
10When we use must in spoken English, usually it is to express something we think is likely.
11In that case, it is similar in meaning to the word "probably."
12You must be cold after working all day in the rain.
13You are probably cold after working all day in the rain.
14My supervisor must not care about the budget cuts.
15My supervisor probably doesn't care about the budget cuts.
16But, we also use it as we use "have to," although more commonly in writing.
17Climate change must be stopped.
18You must see the doctor before Friday.
19"Have to," "have got to" and its reduced form "gotta," are used very often in spoken language to communicate requirement.
20I have to get up at 5am tomorrow.
21You gotta relax.
22So, which sentence should you use? It depends on the context.
23Are you wanting to express a probability? Or are you trying to give an order or announce a rule?
24And now we must say goodbye!
25We have to check the mail for new questions about American English! If you have one, send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com.
26And that's Ask a Teacher.
27I'm Gena Bennett.
1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Mequanent Antigegn. 2Question 3"Must vs have to"--I find it difficult to differentiate them. 4You must wear your uniform in the classroom. Or You have to wear your uniform in the classroom. 5Which one is correct? 6Answer 7Thank you for this question. "Must" and "have to" can have the same meaning. We have talked about "must" and "have to" in an earlier Ask a Teacher. 8Both of the sentences you provide are correct. Sometimes it is better to choose "must" over "have to" or "have to" over "must." 9Must 10When we use must in spoken English, usually it is to express something we think is likely. In that case, it is similar in meaning to the word "probably." 11You must be cold after working all day in the rain. 12You are probably cold after working all day in the rain. 13My supervisor must not care about the budget cuts. 14My supervisor probably doesn't care about the budget cuts. 15But, we also use it as we use "have to," although more commonly in writing. 16Climate change must be stopped. 17You must see the doctor before Friday. 18Have to 19"Have to," "have got to" and its reduced form "gotta," are used very often in spoken language to communicate requirement. 20I have to get up at 5am tomorrow. 21You gotta relax. 22So, which sentence should you use? It depends on the context. Are you wanting to express a probability? Or are you trying to give an order or announce a rule? 23And now we must say goodbye! We have to check the mail for new questions about American English! If you have one, send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com. 24And that's Ask a Teacher. 25I'm Gena Bennett. 26Caty Weaver wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 27________________________________________________ 28Words in This Story 29uniform-n. a special set of clothes someone has to wear to work or school