Have To en Inglés: Obligación y Necesidad

Modal Verb Have To / Verbo Modal Have To

Have to es una expresión verbal de uso muy frecuente en inglés para expresar obligación o necesidad. Es equivalente al verbo modal must en muchos contextos.

A diferencia de otros verbos modales como can o must, have to se conjuga según el sujeto:

Sujeto	Forma
I / You / We / They	have to
He / She / It	has to

A continuación ejemplos de uso:

obligation/obligación

Example	Translation
I have to wake up early.	Tengo que despertarme temprano.
She has to finish her homework.	Ella tiene que terminar su tarea.
We have to clean the house.	Tenemos que limpiar la casa.
They have to study for the exam.	Ellos tienen que estudiar para el examen.
He has to go to work.	Él tiene que ir al trabajo.
You have to drink more water.	Tienes que beber más agua.
She has to wear a uniform.	Ella tiene que usar uniforme.
We have to arrive on time.	Tenemos que llegar a tiempo.
He has to take medicine.	Él tiene que tomar medicina.
You have to be honest.	Tienes que ser honesto.
I have to pay the bills.	Tengo que pagar las cuentas.
She has to call the doctor.	Ella tiene que llamar al médico.

Cómo formar oraciones con Have To

Afirmativa

Sujeto + have to / has to + Base Form + Complement

Negativa

Sujeto + do not have to / does not have to + Base Form + Complement

Interrogativa

Do / Does + Sujeto + have to + Base Form + Complement + ?

Afirmativa: I have to study English.

Negativa: I do not have to study English.

Interrogativa: Do I have to study English?

Afirmativa: She has to study English.

Negativa: She does not have to study English.

Interrogativa: Does she have to study English?

Contracciones con Have To

En el habla informal es frecuente usar las contracciones don't have to y doesn't have to en oraciones negativas.

don't have to = do not have to

doesn't have to = does not have to

Have To en diferentes tiempos verbales

A diferencia de must, have to puede usarse en distintos tiempos verbales:

Tiempo	Forma	Ejemplo
Present	have to / has to	I have to finish this today.
Past	had to	I had to wake up early yesterday.
Future	will have to	I will have to study more next week.

Have To versus Must

Have to y must expresan obligación y en muchos casos son intercambiables. Ejemplos:

Have To	Must
I have to study for my test.	I must study for my test.
You have to finish your homework.	You must finish your homework.
We have to follow the rules.	We must follow the rules.
She has to see a doctor.	She must see a doctor.

Do not have to versus Must not

Do not have to y must not tienen significados muy diferentes:

Do not have to significa que no es necesario hacer algo, pero puedes hacerlo si quieres.

Must not significa que tienes prohibido hacer algo.

Ejemplos:

You do not have to bring food. (No es necesario que traigas comida, pero puedes hacerlo si quieres.)

You must not bring food. (Está prohibido traer comida.)

You do not have to wear a uniform. (No es obligatorio usar uniforme.)

You must not wear a uniform. (Está prohibido usar uniforme.)