A1 English Grammar: Learn How to Use 'Have to' for Obligations — A1 English grammar lesson by Langcom

A1 English Grammar: Learn How to Use ‘Have to’ for Obligations

Raúl Maguiña

Fondateur de Langcom | Examinateur pour les examens de Cambridge et du SIELE

septembre 23, 2026

A1✏️ Grammaire⏱️ 4 min de lecture📅 Mise à jour en septembre 2026
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Nous utilisons have to to talk about rules, obligations, or things that are necessary. It means something is required, like a chore, a school rule, or a work task. You cannot choose not to do it. For example, I have to go to school means school is mandatory for you. We use have to for most subjects (I, you, we, they) and has to for third person singular (he, she, it). To make negative sentences, we use don’t have to ou doesn’t have to, which means something is not necessary or not an obligation. For questions, we use Do you have to…? ou Does he have to…?.

What Does Have to Mean?

In English, we use have to when we talk about things that are necessary or obligatory. It means you must do something because of a rule, a law, or a situation.

Think of it as a responsibility or a task you cannot avoid.

  • It shows an external obligation. Someone or something (like a rule) makes you do it.
  • It is very common for daily routines, chores, and work or school duties.

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How Do We Form Sentences with Have to?

La forme de have to changes a little depending on the subject.

  • For I, You, We, They, we use have to.
  • For He, She, It, we use has to.

Après have to ou has to, we always use the base form of the verb (the infinitive without 'to').

How Do We Make Negative Sentences with Have to?

To say that something is NOT necessary or NOT an obligation, we use don't have to ou doesn't have to.

  • For I, You, We, They, we use don't have to.
  • For He, She, It, we use doesn't have to.

This means you have a choice; it's not compulsory.

How Do We Ask Questions with Have to?

To ask about obligations, we use Do ou Does at the beginning of the question.

  • For I, You, We, They, we use Do... have to...?
  • For He, She, It, we use Does... have to...? (Remember, for he/she/it in questions, we use have to, et non has to, because does already shows the third person singular.)
Conjugation of <span data-no-translation>Have to</span> (Present Simple)
Objet Positive (+) Negative (-) Question (?)
I / You / We / They have to + verb don't have to + verb Do ... have to + verb?
He / She / It has to + verb doesn't have to + verb Does ... have to + verb?

Exemples

  • I have to wash the dishes every day.
  • My dad has to go to work at 7 o'clock.
  • My friends have to do their homework in the afternoon.
  • You don't have to cook tonight. We can order pizza!
  • She doesn't have to wake up early on Saturdays.
  • Do you have to wear a uniform at school?
  • Does he have to finish the report today?

Entraînement

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Erreurs courantes chez les hispanophones

Common Mistakes with Have to

Les hispanophones commettent parfois les erreurs suivantes :

  • Using must to instead of have to: In English, we say I have to go, et non I must to go. Remember, have to acts like a regular verb for negatives and questions.
  • Using have to for he/she/it: It's common to forget the 's'. Always say He has to, et non He have to.
  • Forgetting do/does in questions and negatives: We don't say You not have to ou Have you to go? Instead, use You don't have to et Do you have to go?

Questions fréquemment posées

Is have to a modal verb?

While have to expresses obligation like modal verbs (must), it behaves more like a regular verb. It needs do/does for questions and negatives, unlike true modal verbs such as can ou should.

What is the difference between have to et must?

For A1 learners, the main difference is that have to usually shows an external obligation (a rule, a law, someone else's decision). Must often shows a strong personal feeling or an obligation from the speaker. For example, I have to wear a uniform (school rule) vs. I must study for the exam (my strong personal decision).

What is the past tense of have to?

The past tense of have to est had to for all subjects. For example, Yesterday, I had to work late.

Why do we say has to for he/she/it?

Just like with the verb have, we add an '-s' or change the form for the third person singular in the present simple. So, he has becomes he has to, following the same grammar rule.

Leçons associées

À propos de l'auteur : Raúl Maguiña

Raúl Maguiña est le directeur de l'Asociación Educativa Langcom, un centre agréé de préparation à l'examen Cambridge English situé à votre pays. Fort de plus d'une décennie d'expérience dans l'enseignement des langues et les certifications internationales, il a aidé des milliers d'étudiants, d'enseignants et d'établissements d'enseignement dans 25 pays à obtenir les certifications d'anglais Cambridge, IELTS, TOEFL et Michigan.

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