HAVE TO Have to & Have got to - Positives, Negatives, and Questions Have to is a construction (structure). It is not a modal verb.

. We use auxiliary verbs do and does to form questions and negatives. Examples: Positive I have to work very unsociable hours. She has to wear a uniform. Negative I don't have to work at weekends. John doesn't have to do any work at home. Question Do I have to pay in advance? Does your father have to travel a lot at his job? With have got to negatives and questions are formed differently. Examples: Positive I've got to work very unsociable hours. She's got to wear a uniform. Negative I haven't got to work at weekends. John hasn't got to do any work at home. Question Have I got to pay in advance? Has you father got to travel a lot at his job? Have to (objective obligation) We often use have to to say that something is obligatory, for example: Children have to go to school. Note that we can use the have to expression in all tenses, for example: I have to, I had to, I have had to, I will have to Structure of Have to Have to is often grouped with modal auxiliary verbs for convenience, but in fact it is not a modal verb. It is not even an auxiliary verb. In the have to structure, "have" is a main verb. The structure is: subject + auxiliary verb + have + infinitive (with to) Look at these examples in the simple tense: subject + She ? I Did do not you auxiliary verb main verb have has have have infinitive (with to) to work. to see to go the doctor. to school?

Use of Have to In general, have to expresses impersonal obligation. The subject of have to is obliged or forced to act by a separate, external power (for example, the Law or school rules). Have to is objective. Look at these examples: In France, you have to drive on the right.

 In England, most schoolchildren have to wear a uniform. John has to wear a tie at work. In each of the above cases, the obligation is not the subject's opinion or idea. The obligation is imposed from outside. We can use have to in all tenses, and also with modal auxiliaries. We conjugate it just like any other main verb. Here are some examples: subject past simple present simple future simple present continuous present perfect modal (may) I I I She We They will is have may auxiliary verb main verb have had have have having had have infinitive to work to work to work to wait. to change to do the time. it again. yesterday. today. tomorrow.