# must - have to



## simonaj

I studied the difference between "must" and "have to": Must is personal, have to is impersonal. But in what cases is it possible using them interchangebly?


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## equivoque

"You have to pay the bills." and "You must pay the bills." mean the same thing in my house: broke again!


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## MrJamSandwich

In terms of context, the two are virtually always interchangeable, but *must* - being monosyllabic - sounds more immediate, more imperative. In British English (I'm not sure about usage elsewhere), *must* is more frequently used in written language, whereas *have to* is more commonly spoken. To my ears, *must* when spoken can sound quite brusque.

Another spoken variant, more informal and, some would argue, incorrect, is *have got to* - as in, *I've got to feed the cat. *The meaning is again exactly the same, but it sounds more casual.


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## simonaj

Thanks, so the difference is not so strict... and for instance : "I must go" can be "I have to go" too (even if it's a personal feeling)?


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## MrJamSandwich

simonaj said:


> Thanks, so the difference is not so strict... and for instance : "I must go" can be "I have to go" too (even if it's a personal feeling)?



Both are correct in any context - but personally I rarely use "must" when speaking, except in this sort of construction:
Why isn't Paul here?
*He must have forgotten*.

This sounds perfectly natural, for all registers and situations because *have to *doesn't really fit into the compound past tense:

*He has to have forgotten.
*This doesn't sound particularly _wrong_ to me, but it is very seldom used, if ever.

As for nearly every grammar point, this may vary between different English-speaking regions.


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## simonaj

Potete darmi qualche esempio di quando possono essere utlizzati sia "must" che "have to"? E cosa significa che "have to" è impersonale?


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## ElaineG

> Must is personal, have to is impersonal


 
Non capisco.  Dove hai trovato quest'idea?

I must do my homework before I can go to the party.
I have to do my homework before I can go to the party.

I must eat something soon!
I have to eat something soon!

You must tell me what's going on with your new boss.
You have to tell me what's going on with your new boss.

Secondo me, vogliono dire più o meno la stessa cosa, è solo che "must" è po' più forte.


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## Hockey13

simonaj said:


> Thanks, so the difference is not so strict... and for instance : "I must go" can be "I have to go" too (even if it's a personal feeling)?


 
Or, casually and more often spoken (at least in the US):

I have got to go ---> I've got to go ---> I've gotta go.

The last one there is purely a written form of spoken English and it is incorrect as written, but essentially correct when it is spoken. I never say _I have got to go_, or even _I've got to go. _I would always _say_ "I've gotta go," with no break between got and to (a distinction that may only be discernable to the cautious listener or a native). Sorry if this confuses you


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## Panpan

I think the one time I would definitely use 'must' instead of 'have to', is when it is follwed by the verb 'to have'.  E.g. Devo averlo - 'I must have it', prefered to 'I have to have it'.  (A fashion item is sometimes described as a 'must-have').  Otherwise I agree, they are interchangable.

Panpan


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## Hockey13

Panpan said:


> I think the one time I would definitely use 'must' instead of 'have to', is when it is follwed by the verb 'to have'. E.g. Devo averlo - 'I must have it', prefered to 'I have to have it'. (A fashion item is sometimes described as a 'must-have'). Otherwise I agree, they are interchangable.
> 
> Panpan


 
In AE, I'm use to hearing have to have with this emphasis:

I _have_ to have it.

I think, but I'm not sure, there is a greater use of "must" in BE, though not by too much, really.


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## Panpan

You wouldn't be more likely to say 'I gotta have it'?  I agree with you though, 'have to have' is just as comprehensible, I am only talking about my own preference for 'must have'.
Panpan


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## Alxmrphi

Solamente la differenza (a me) è quello che Elaine ha detto, che "must" è più forte di "have to"


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## TrentinaNE

In practical terms, "have to" often seems to mean "really want to."   

Elisabetta


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## simonaj

ElaineG said:


> Non capisco.  Dove hai trovato quest'idea?
> 
> I must do my homework before I can go to the party.
> I have to do my homework before I can go to the party.
> 
> I must eat something soon!
> I have to eat something soon!
> 
> You must tell me what's going on with your new boss.
> You have to tell me what's going on with your new boss.
> 
> Secondo me, vogliono dire più o meno la stessa cosa, è solo che "must" è po' più forte.



Ho fatto una piccola ricerca e ho trovato che have to si usa quando è un'obbligazone che viene da circostanze o regole esterne. 
For instance "In England you have to drive on the left", ma forse è una regola solo teorica che resta sui libri di grammatica?


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## cjwoodso

I believe that "must" does not have the urgency that "have to" has.  the word  "must" dictates a responsibility whereas "have to" is a requirement.

charles


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## bianconera

Simona puoi dire la stessa cosa usando must
In England you must drive on the left... altrimenti altro che regola, vai dritto all'ospedale!


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## cjwoodso

bianconera

you are ....right you must drive.... but you don't have to.

charles


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## SidneyB

An additional thought, albeit a little late:

One circumstance where "must" and "have to" are most definitely not interchangeable - when they are used in the negative.

"You must not drive on the left" means driving on the left is forbidden, or highly inadvisable

"You don't have to drive on the left" means driving on the left is not necessary, or not obligatory.

Hope this helps.


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## Angel.Aura

Ciao SidneyB and welcome to the Forum 

Good point, by the way!


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## pagliaccio

I have to pick them up = devo andarla a prendere

Ma non è corretto usare must al posto di have to

I must pick them up.

Ciao  a tutti e buona Champions


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## ilcigno

cjwoodso said:


> bianconera
> 
> you are ....right you must drive.... but you don't have to.
> 
> charles


 
Interesting ... some would say the exact opposite (or so it seems, see here, for example).

Must is an incomplete verb; it has no infinitive, past or future (except in the sense that the present can be used as a future). Fo all these tenses, you must use "have to".


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## sdon

Vorrei sapere ma "non dovrai farlo" nel senso è proibito

You won't have to do it 

VA bene o è meglio You won't be allowed to...

Me lo chiedo perchè mustn't e haven't to hanno significati in pratica opposti al negativo mentre al positivo sono spesso intercambiabili


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## Alxmrphi

You won't have to do it = Non avrai bisogno di farlo (o qualcosa del genere)
You won't be allowed to do it = Non sei permesso di farlo

Due accezzioni decisamente diverse.
Hai menzionato '*haven't*' ma non lo vedo nel tuo post in un esempio?


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## sdon

IL senso è NON DOVRAI FARLO perchè è proibito.

Siccome so che have to sostituisce MUST nei tempi futuro e passato che Must non ha pensavo che 

You won't have to do it 

Significasse appunto 

Non dovrai farlo (perchè è proibito!)

IN quel caso il senso di must è reso da not allowed to?!


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## Alxmrphi

Ahh... "You must not do it" !  (è proibito)


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## rrose17

Per non dovrai farlo direi
You shouldn't do that.
Per non devi farlo 
You mustn't do that.
Sono sbagliato?
We also say you're not supposed to do that which is difficult to translate accurately, I think.


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## Alxmrphi

Hmm, if someone said that to me I'd think they were telling me _I needn't_ do that, it's not necessary...

Am I wrong?


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## Phil9

_You mustn't do it_ means that it is probably forbidden or that you shouldn't do it. e.g.:

_You mustn't go through a red light _(because it's forbidden).

Mother to child:_You mustn't interrupt your teacher when she's talking_ (because it's considered rude, but not illegal)


_You won't have to do it_ means that it will not be necessary for you to do it or that no one will force you to do it. It doesn't mean that it's forbidden. e.g.:

_You should have an audition to join this choir, but you won't have to do it._ (because they're desperate for new singers).


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## sdon

Quindi anche se volessi dire 

"NOn dovevi farlo" potrei dire meglio

"YOu shouldn't have done it" invece di "You didn't have to do" nel senso che era proibito (forbidden)??


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## Alxmrphi

sdon said:


> Quindi anche se volessi dire
> 
> "NOn dovevi farlo" potrei dire meglio
> 
> "YOu shouldn't have done it" invece di "You didn't have to do" nel senso che era proibito (forbidden)??



L'altro sarebbe usato in un modo diverso, (non ce n'è stato bisogno di farlo)


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## cavazzina

Ciao, dovrei tradurre questa frase ma non so con precisione come fare. la frase è : devo andare da mia mamma perchè è malata. riuscite a tradurla? magari spiegando, grazie in anticipo!

must o have to? come tradurre questa frase? devo andare da mia mamma perchè è malata


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## Benzene

Ciao *cavazzina!*

Si usa "must" quando chi parla ritiene molto importante e/o indispensabile fare qualcosa. 

Quando il verbo "dovere" implica un obbligo o un comando allora si usa "to have to".

La forma negativa "must not or must'n" indica una proibizione.

Bye,

Benzene


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## TimLA

cavazzina said:


> Ciao, dovrei tradurre questa frase ma non so con precisione come fare. la frase è : devo andare da mia mamma perchè è malata. riuscite a tradurla? magari spiegando, grazie in anticipo!
> 
> must o have to? come tradurre questa frase? devo andare da mia mamma perchè è malata


 
Ciao e benvenuta.

I need to go visit my mother because she is sick.
I must go visit my...

Forse la prima forma sia più naturale.


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