29. Need to and Have To

English Explanations

1. Use need to or have to to show that something is necessary or required. Both are followed by the base form of the verb.

2. Use do not need to or do not have to to say that something is not necessary or required. Do not can be shortened to don't.

3. Use did not + need to or did not + have to to say that something was not necessary or required in the past. Did not can be shortened to didn't.

4. Use need to or have to in a question to ask someone about the necessity of something. To form a yes/no question, use do or does + subject + need to or have to + verb. To form a question with a question word, use a question word + do + subject + need to or have to + verb.

Need to and Have To
Need to or Have to + base form of verb She needs to see a doctor. I have to finish my work.
Negative with Need to and Have To
Don't + need to or have to + base form of verb We don't need to go to the bank. She doesn't have to cook dinner tonight.
Past Negative with Need to and Have To
Didn't + need to or have to + base form of verb He didn't need to travel to New York. I didn't have to spend a lot of money.
Questions with Need to and Have To
Do + subject + need to or have to + base form of verb Do the children need to eat dinner? Do you have to study this weekend?