Have To and Don't Have To (Obligation)
Use have to (or has to for he, she, it) to say something is necessary, usually because of an outside rule: I have to wear a uniform. Don't have to means the opposite of necessary, not forbidden: you can choose. Form questions and negatives with do or does.
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Level: A2. Have to is how English most often talks about obligation — the things we are required to do. Unlike pure modal verbs such as can or must, have to acts like a normal verb, so it uses do and does for questions and negatives. The real challenge is its negative, which does not mean “forbidden”.
The rule
An obligation is something you are required to do. Have to + the base verb (the plain dictionary form: go, pay, wear) says that an action is necessary, usually because of an outside rule, law or situation: I have to wear a uniform at school.
For the third person singular — he, she, it — have changes to has: She has to work on Saturdays. This is the one spelling change to remember.
Because have to is a normal verb and not a true modal, it needs the helper do/does to form questions and negatives: Do you have to go? / He doesn’t have to pay. A true modal like must never does this.
The negative, don’t/doesn’t have to, means there is no obligation — you can do it if you want, but you are not required to. It does not mean the action is forbidden.
Forms of have to
| Subject | Affirmative | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| I / you / we / they | have to go | don’t have to go | Do you have to go? |
| he / she / it | has to go | doesn’t have to go | Does she have to go? |
| past (all subjects) | had to go | didn’t have to go | Did you have to go? |
The main verb after have to never changes: it is always the base form (go, not goes or going).
Example sentences
- I have to get up early tomorrow.A necessity — have to + base verb.
- She has to wear glasses for driving.Third person → has to.
- We have to pay the rent on the first of the month.An outside rule creates the obligation.
- He has to finish the report today.'has to' for he.
- You have to show your passport at the border.A legal requirement.
- They have to wear helmets on the building site.A safety rule.
- Do I have to answer this question?Question with 'do' + base 'have to'.
- Does your brother have to work weekends?Third-person question uses 'does' + have to.
- I don't have to go to the office on Fridays.No obligation — I may stay home.
- She doesn't have to cook tonight; we'll order food.Not necessary, by choice.
- You don't have to pay to enter the park.Entry is free — no obligation to pay.
- We had to wait two hours at the airport.Past obligation → had to.
- Did you have to take an exam?Past question → did + have to.
- He didn't have to apologise, but he did.No obligation in the past; he chose to.
- I've got to leave now, sorry.'have got to' — informal British alternative.
- Students have to submit the form by Friday.A deadline rule.
- Does she have to travel a lot for work?A question about her job.
- You don't have to decide today; take your time.Optional — no pressure.
- We have to be quiet in the library.A place rule.
- Do we have to bring our own pens?Checking whether it is required.
Common mistakes
- ❌ You don’t have to smoke here. (meaning it is banned) → ✅ You mustn’t smoke here. Don’t have to = optional; mustn’t = forbidden.
- ❌ She have to work today. → ✅ She has to work today. Third person singular uses has to.
- ❌ Do you have to going? → ✅ Do you have to go? The verb after have to stays in the base form.
- ❌ I haven’t to pay. → ✅ I don’t have to pay. Make the negative with don’t/doesn’t, not by adding n’t to have.
- ❌ Must you to leave? / He has to leaves. → ✅ Do you have to leave? / He has to leave. No to after must; no extra -s on the base verb after has to.
- ❌ Yesterday I must stay late. → ✅ Yesterday I had to stay late. Must has no past; use had to.
A short conversation
A: Do we have to book a table, or can we just turn up? B: You don’t have to book, but at weekends it gets full. A: And do I have to dress smartly? B: No, you don’t have to — but you mustn’t wear beach sandals, that’s their one rule.
Usage notes
- Have got to. In informal British English, have got to is common: I’ve got to go (I’ve gotta go in fast speech). It means the same as have to but is mostly for the present.
- Who makes the rule. Have to usually points to an external authority (a law, a boss, a timetable). When the obligation comes from the speaker’s own feeling, must is often chosen instead — though in everyday English have to covers both.
- Questions sound more natural with “have to”. Native speakers more often ask Do I have to…? than Must I…?, which can sound formal or irritated.
- Past and future. The past is had to for every subject. The future uses will have to: You’ll have to wait.
Compared with…
- Must and mustn’t express obligation too, but mustn’t is the big contrast: it means prohibition (You mustn’t park here), whereas don’t have to means no obligation (You don’t have to park here — there’s free parking elsewhere). Must is also a pure modal, so it takes no do and has no past. See Must and Mustn’t.
- Should and shouldn’t are weaker: they give advice, not obligation. You should rest is a suggestion; You have to rest is a requirement. See Should and Shouldn’t for Advice.
Quick recap before you practise.
Practice
Have to practice
Try each one, then press Check. No sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.
Hint: helper verb for I/you/we/they
Show answer
do — 'Have to' is a normal verb, so questions use do/does: Do you have to…?
3 Put the words in order.
Show answer
You don't have to pay — Negative of 'have to' = don't have to: You don't have to pay.
4 Match each form to its meaning.
- have to
- don't have to
- mustn't
- had to
Show answer
- have to → it is necessary
- don't have to → it is not necessary
- mustn't → it is forbidden
- had to → it was necessary (past)
Don't have to = no obligation; mustn't = prohibition; had to = past necessity.
Hint: past of have to
Show answer
had — The past of 'have to' is 'had to' for every subject.
Quiz
Have to and don't have to quiz
12 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.
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necessity / obligation — 'Have to' says an action is necessary, usually because of an outside rule.
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has — Third person singular: he has to.
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Do you have to go? — 'Have to' uses do/does in questions: Do you have to go?
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Coming is optional — no obligation. — 'Don't have to' means there is no obligation; it is your choice.
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smoking is forbidden — 'Mustn't' expresses prohibition — it is not allowed.
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doesn't have to — Third person negative of 'have to' = doesn't have to (no obligation).
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Do you have to go? — After 'have to' use the base verb, and form the question with 'do'.
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I had to leave early. — The past of 'have to' is 'had to' + base verb.
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Show answer
She has to studies. — The main verb stays in the base form: she has to study, not studies.
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Do I have to pay? — 'Do I have to…?' is the normal, natural way to ask about obligation.
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has — Third person singular: has to.
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an informal way to say 'I have to go' — 'Have got to' is a common informal alternative to 'have to', mainly in the present.
Recap cheat-sheet
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| have/has to | it is necessary | She has to work. |
| don’t/doesn’t have to | no obligation (optional) | You don’t have to pay. |
| mustn’t | forbidden (not optional!) | You mustn’t park here. |
| had to | past necessity | We had to wait. |
Next
- Next topic: Should and Shouldn’t for Advice
- Builds on: Present Simple: Affirmative
- Compare: Must and Mustn’t
- Back to the English grammar section
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All English grammar topics
Every grammar point in order, from your first sentence to advanced structures. Pick one and go straight to it. New lessons go live every day, so topics marked Coming soon fill in over the next weeks.
Grammar path
A1 30 topics · 30 ready
- 01 Verb 'To Be' in the Present (am, is, are)
- 02 Subject Pronouns: I, You, He, She, It, We, They
- 03 Present Simple: Affirmative and the -s Ending
- 04 Present Simple: Negatives and Questions (do/does)
- 05 Articles: a / an and When to Use Each
- 06 The Definite Article 'The': When to Use It
- 07 Zero Article: When to Use No Article
- 08 Plural Nouns: Regular and Irregular Forms
- 09 This, That, These, Those (Demonstratives)
- 10 Possessive Adjectives: my, your, his, her
- 11 Possessive 's and s' (Showing Belonging)
- 12 There Is / There Are (Saying What Exists)
- 13 Have Got: Talking About Possession
- 14 Can and Can't for Ability
- 15 Present Continuous (am/is/are + -ing)
- 16 Imperatives: Giving Orders and Instructions
- 17 Adjectives: Position and Basic Use
- 18 Prepositions of Place: in, on, at
- 19 Prepositions of Time: in, on, at
- 20 Question Words: What, Where, When, Who, Why, How
- 21 How Much vs How Many
- 22 Countable and Uncountable Nouns
- 23 Some and Any: Which One to Use
- 24 Object Pronouns: me, you, him, her, us, them
- 25 Adverbs of Frequency and Their Position
- 26 Like, Love, Hate + -ing (Expressing Preferences)
- 27 Would Like: Polite Wants and Offers
- 28 Making Requests: Can, Could, May I
- 29 Past Simple of 'To Be' (was / were)
- 30 Let's and Shall We: Making Suggestions
A2 25 topics · 25 ready
- 31 Past Simple: Regular Verbs and -ed Spelling
- 32 Past Simple: Irregular Verbs (go, see, have)
- 33 Past Simple: Negatives and Questions (did)
- 34 Comparative Adjectives (bigger, more expensive)
- 35 Superlative Adjectives (the biggest, the most)
- 36 Going To: Plans and Predictions
- 37 Will: Predictions, Decisions and Offers
- 38 Present Continuous for Future Arrangements
- 39 Present Perfect for Experience (ever / never)
- 40 Present Perfect with just, already, yet
- 41 Present Perfect vs Past Simple
- 42 Have To and Don't Have To (Obligation) You are here
- 43 Should and Shouldn't for Advice
- 44 Could: Past Ability and Polite Use
- 45 Much, Many, A Lot Of
- 46 A Few, A Little, Few, Little
- 47 Adverbs of Manner (quickly, well, hard)
- 48 Verb + -ing or Verb + to (Introduction)
- 49 Zero Conditional (Facts and Rules)
- 50 First Conditional (Real Future Possibility)
- 51 Prepositions of Movement (to, into, through)
- 52 Possessive Pronouns: mine, yours, hers
- 53 Past Continuous (was/were + -ing)
- 54 Too and Enough (Degree)
- 55 Order of Adjectives Before a Noun
B1 27 topics · 27 ready
- 56 Past Continuous vs Past Simple
- 57 Used To and Would for Past Habits
- 58 Present Perfect Continuous (have been -ing)
- 59 Present Perfect: Simple vs Continuous
- 60 Past Perfect (had + past participle)
- 61 Second Conditional (Unreal Present/Future)
- 62 Third Conditional (Unreal Past)
- 63 Reported Speech: Statements (Backshift)
- 64 Reported Questions
- 65 Reported Commands and Requests
- 66 Passive Voice: Present and Past Simple
- 67 Must and Mustn't (Strong Obligation)
- 68 May, Might, Could for Possibility
- 69 Defining Relative Clauses (who, which, that)
- 70 Non-Defining Relative Clauses (with commas)
- 71 Gerunds and Infinitives: Full Verb Patterns
- 72 Verbs Where -ing vs to Changes Meaning
- 73 Future Continuous (will be -ing)
- 74 So and Such (Emphasis)
- 75 As...As Comparisons (equality)
- 76 Question Tags (isn't it? do you?)
- 77 Phrasal Verbs: Separable and Inseparable
- 78 Linking Words: because, so, although, but
- 79 Infinitive of Purpose (to / in order to)
- 80 Indirect Questions (Can you tell me...)
- 81 Make, Let, Allow, Help (Causatives Intro)
- 82 Be Used To and Get Used To (+ -ing)
B2 25 topics · 25 ready
- 83 Narrative Tenses for Storytelling
- 84 Past Perfect Continuous (had been -ing)
- 85 Mixed Conditionals
- 86 Wish and If Only (Regrets and Wishes)
- 87 Wish/If Only + would (Complaints)
- 88 Passive Voice: All Tenses and Modals
- 89 Reporting Passive (It is said that / is said to)
- 90 Causative: Have/Get Something Done
- 91 Reduced Relative Clauses (Participles)
- 92 Modals of Deduction: Present and Past
- 93 Needn't Have vs Didn't Need To
- 94 Future Perfect (will have done)
- 95 Participle Clauses (-ing / -ed / having done)
- 96 Advanced Comparatives (far/much + er, the more)
- 97 Conditional Alternatives: unless, as long as, provided
- 98 Advanced Determiners: each, every, either, neither
- 99 Intensifiers and Adverbs of Degree
- 100 Advanced Contrast: despite, in spite of, however
- 101 Advanced Linkers: therefore, moreover, consequently
- 102 Advanced Article Use (generalisations, names)
- 103 Verb + Preposition and Adjective + Preposition
- 104 Relative Clauses: whose, where, when, quantifier + whom
- 105 Subject-Verb Agreement: Tricky Cases
- 106 Emphatic Do (I do like it)
- 107 Would for Past Habits (Formal Narrative)
C1 18 topics · 18 ready
- 108 Inversion with Negative Adverbials
- 109 Inversion in Conditionals (Had I known)
- 110 Cleft Sentences (It was... / What I need is...)
- 111 Fronting and Emphasis (Word Order)
- 112 Subjunctive and Mandative (I suggest he be)
- 113 Ellipsis and Substitution (so, do, one)
- 114 Hedging and Cautious Language
- 115 Nominalisation (Academic Noun Style)
- 116 Advanced Discourse Markers (Spoken & Written)
- 117 Advanced Passive (passive + infinitive, get-passive)
- 118 Advanced Comparative Structures (no sooner...than)
- 119 Future in the Past (was going to / would)
- 120 Advanced Modals (may well, might as well, would rather)
- 121 Advanced Reported Speech (Reporting Verbs + Patterns)
- 122 Advanced and Idiomatic Phrasal Verbs
- 123 Collocation and Colligation (Natural Combinations)
- 124 Advanced Concession (much as, whatever, however + adj)
- 125 Absolute and Non-Finite Clauses (Formal)