Has to or have to?
The agreement is the same as for have on its own. What changes is how the negative behaves.
The short answer
Use has to with he, she, it and any single person. Use have to with I, you, we, they and plurals. In the past both become had to, with every subject.
Which one do you need?
| Subject | Present | Past |
|---|---|---|
| I, you, we, they, several people | have to | had to |
| he, she, it, one person | has to | had to |
Practice the choice
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Getting your first question ready.
Side by side
Three sentences for each form, taken from the 253 sentences this drill uses. The answer is highlighted.
has to
- Her parents wait for the call, so she has to phone them every day.
- The doctor was firm about it, so she has to take care of her health.
- Without them she sees nothing at all, so she has to wear her glasses.
have to
- He starts without latecomers, so I have to be on time for the meeting with my boss.
- My workload leaves me no choice, so I have to be more organized in my daily routine.
- Your father allows nothing else first, so you have to finish your homework before going out to play.
The agreement
Has to belongs to he, she, it and single people and things. Have to covers I, you, we, they and anything plural.
- My brother has to work on Saturdays.
- My parents have to work on Saturdays.
The verb after it stays plain: has to work, never has to works.
Questions and negatives use do
This is where have to parts company with must. Must is a modal and makes its own questions. Have to is an ordinary verb and needs do:
- Does she have to sign it?
- She doesn’t have to sign it.
- Did they have to pay?
Note that the agreement moves onto does, and have goes plain. Does she has to is the single most common error on this page.
Had to covers every past
One form, any subject, and it is also the past of must:
- I had to wait an hour.
- They had to cancel.
- She must leave now. → She had to leave early yesterday.
Have got to
Common in British speech, same meaning, same agreement:
- I’ve got to go.
- He’s got to finish it today.
It is informal and belongs to speech rather than to writing. In the past it is not used at all — had to takes over.
Don’t have to is not mustn’t
Doesn’t have to removes the obligation. Mustn’t forbids. They are nearly opposite, and the confusion is worth a page of its own.
Have to or must
Have to usually points at a rule from outside; must at the speaker’s own conviction. In practice have to is the everyday form and must the formal one. Must or should sets out the rest of the difference.
Mistakes to avoid
Wrong: She have to leave early. correct: She has to leave early.
She is third person singular, so the form is has to.
Wrong: He doesn't has to come. correct: He doesn't have to come.
Doesn't already carries the agreement, so have goes back to its plain form.
Wrong: Yesterday she has to work late. correct: Yesterday she had to work late.
Past obligation is had to, for every subject.
Wrong: She hasn't to wear a uniform. correct: She doesn't have to wear a uniform.
In this meaning have to behaves like an ordinary verb, so the negative is built with don't or doesn't.