Autor: Jimena González Sanz
Hello againg! Today I want to focus on the differences between must and have to. Many English learners have some problems when deciding which one to use. So today, I want to approach to both of them and maybe enlighten you.
Basically “must” mean an internal obligation that the person speaking feels. It is like saying “I feel it is necessary to do something”. For example, “I must start doing exercise ”, which means, “I feel it is necessary for me to exercise because it is good for my heath.” ; “ You must finish your work before 3 pm” , which means, “ I think it is necessary that you finish this before 3pm”, “She must stop smoking”, which means , “I think it is necessary that she stops smoking because it is bad for her health.”
On the other hand “have to/ have got to” is an external obligation that comes from another one or from an authority (it can be related to the law, a rule or an agreement.) For example, “You have to return the books to the library before Saturday” , which means “the rules say that you have to return them before that day”, “You have got to see the doctor”, which means , “You have an appointment to see the doctor so you have to go.”
Now it is time for you to practice so here you will find some links where you can practice a little.
I hope it will be useful and you enjoyed it a little too!
See you soon.
Jimena González Sanz.
