Words ending with -ever: whatever, whoever, whenever…

 

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The suffix -ever can be added to the words in wh- and how to change their meaning. These compound words then express a general value.

Whatever

• Whatever dish you choose, you have to eat it all.
• Take whatever you want from the fridge if you feel hungry. 
• Whatever you do, try your best. 

Whatever is sometimes used alone orally: it means ‘I don’t care‘, ‘It doesn’t matter to me‘:

• What do you want to eat tonight? – Whatever. 

Whenever

• Come and visit us whenever you want.
• He interrupts me whenever I start to speak. 
• You can borrow my car whenever you like. 
• We can leave whenever you’re ready. 

However

• However tired I am, I work out every day.
• However you try to explain it, I still can’t understand it. 
• However you look at it, it’s going to cost a lot. 

Wherever

• Put the book wherever you want.
• Sit down wherever you like. 
• Wherever we go, we’ll have fun. 

Whichever

With whichever we propose to choose between several things:

• Keep whichever you like. 
• Choose whichever you prefer. 
• Whichever day you come, we will be happy to see you. 

Whoever

It means ‘any person’:

• You can call whoever you want. 
• Whoever you are, you’ll love this song. 
• Whoever opened the gate didn’t close it. 
• Could I speak to whoever is in charge of customer service please? 

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Can and can’t sentences in English

 

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Can in English

Can expresses a possibility, a capacity, or the ability of the subject, or a permission.

Can’t (or cannot, in a single word) is its negative form and expresses a disability. In the interrogative form, Can… must be placed at the beginning of the sentence.

1. Express an ability or inability

Can and can’t are used to say that something or someone may or may not be able to do something:

• He can sing.
• She can speak Japanese fluently. 
• I can’t swim. 
• Can you play the guitar? 
• I’m afraid I can’t come to work on Wednesday. 

2. Express an opportunity or occasional characteristics

In this case, it is used in the affirmative form:

• The river can be dangerous at times. 
• It can get hot there during the day. 
• I know she can win the competition. 
• I think your drone can be repaired.

3. To give or request permission or service

Can’t can also be used to deny permission:

• You can use my car if you want.
• Mum, can I go out now?
• Can I ask you a question? 
• Can I carry your luggage for you? 
• You can go to the swimming pool if you like. 

4. Indicate a prohibition with can’t

• You can’t smoke in the restaurant. 
• We cannot park the car next to this fire hydrant. 
• You cannot drive a car without a license. 

5. Express a strong certainty with can’t

In this case, can’t is used to show that you are surprised, or that you are sure that something is wrong in the present or in a past situation, whether it is a past fact or an activity (the construction is different in both cases):

• It can’t be possible! 
• He can’t have been to Japan.  (construction: can’t + have + verb at the past participle)
• He can’t have been drinking, he looked sober.  (construction: can’t + have been + ing)

6. Can and perception verbs

We often use can in front of perception verbs: hear, see, smell, touch…

• I can hear you but I can’t see you! 
• We can see the beach from our hotel. 
• I can smell something burning. 

7. Could

Could is the preterite of can. It is considered more polite or formal in a request:

• Could I have more tea, please? 

8. Can or be able ?

We use be able to when can is impossible to use:

• I’ve never been able to sing. 
• I’d like to be able to forgive you. 
• Sorry for not being able to help you. 

 

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Will and Going to: what is the difference?

 

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What is the difference between will and going to?

To put it simply, we use ‘be going to’ + infinitive verb to evoke an intention to do something when a decision has already been made as we speak.

When the decision is made immediately, we use will. Will is also stronger than going to (will is used to make a promise, for example).

Compare the following examples:

• I need the car. I’m going to visit Uncle Paul. 
• She’ll tell you why she did it. 

We also use Be going to to predict something from what we see or know. With Will, the prediction is more abstract:

• Look at this kid with his skateboard. I’m sure he’s going to fall. 
• She’s going to have a baby. Her belly is really big. 
• Be careful! You’re going to drop thos glasses. 
• It’s going to rain. 

That said, sometimes there is not much difference between will and going to and you can use either one or the other:

• I think the weather will be nice tomorrow morning. = I think the weather is going to be nice tomorrow morning.

 

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How to use ‘used to‘ in English

 

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Used to is used to talk about habits or actions that were repeated in the past, but are now over. In this lesson you will find many examples of sentences in English with used to, to help you understand better:

1 – CONSTRUCTION

Affirmative form: Used to is followed by the verbal base.

• He used to live in Tokyo. 

Negative form: we use either used not to, or didn’t use to. It’s necessary to remove the final -d of used after didn’t in writing (orally, it’s ok)!

• I used not to be so skinny (= I didn’t use to be so skinny). 
• I didn’t use to like mushrooms. (= I used not to like mushrooms) 

Question form: simply use Did (I, he, they…) use to…? at the beginning of the sentence. Be careful, remember to remove the final “d’ of used to the interrogative form in writing (orally, it’s ok)!

• Did he really use to be a soldier?
• Did he use to smoke much? 

2 – HOW TO USE USED TO

Used to is used to refer to an activity that has existed for some time and ended, or to talk about a habit in the past:

• He used to drink too much. 
• I used to read a lot.
• She used to be my friend when I was at school. 
• When I was a child, I used to walk to school everyday. 

At the end of sentences:

• I smoke cigarettes much more now than I used to. 
• My mother cooks better than she used to.

3 – A FEW TIPS

⚠️ Be careful not to confuse used to with be used to + verb -ing (to be used to):

• I am used to get up early. (I am used to getting up early.) → I have the habit of waking up early.
• I used to getting up early. → I would get up early (usually).

⚠️ In the same style, be careful not to confuse used to with get, become or grow used to + verb -ing

• You will get used to it. 

⚠️ Do not confuse the formula ‘used to‘ with the past participle of the verb to use!

• This room is used to store old furnitures. 

⚠️ There is no equivalent to ‘used to‘ in the present. To speak of habits in the present, we use frequency adverbs like often, usually, never, always…

• I usually go running at night.

⚠️ It’s sometimes possible to replace Used to with Would + infinitive (without to):

• We would go to Spain every year when I was a child. 

 

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How to use would in English sentences

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WOULD

Would is a modal auxiliary, which is the will loan. It allows you to express a hypothesis.

The contracted form of would is ‘d, and the contracted form of would not is wouldn’t.

⚠ Be careful not to confuse the ‘d of would with that of had!

Here are the different uses of Would in English:

1 – Express the conditional with Would

We would use to imagine something that is not real:

• I’d like to go to Paris.
• I would not (= wouldn’t) want to go by bus. 
• They would buy this car if they had enough money. 

2 – Make a prediction

Would is often used with if + preterite, to evoke a possible hypothesis:

• I would do it if you asked me. 
• We would live in Osaka if we were Japanese. 
• I would be happy if she came. 

3 – To be polite

We use would to speak politely (it’s less direct than saying “I want”):

• I’d like some information about this car. 
• I’d like to see the menu, please. 

Would is often used in questioning form to ask or propose something politely:

• Would you help me, please?
• Would you like some tea? 
• How would you describe him? 

4 – Express the refusal with would

In the negative form, would express the refusal:

• I asked him to come, but he wouldn’t. 
• He wouldn’t listen to me. 
• The computer wouldn’t start. 

5 – Express an indirect speech

• Paul said that he would arrive late.

6 – Indicate a past habit with Would

We can use would to talk about things that used to happen regularly in the past, about old habits:

• When I was a child I would walk to school every day. 
• She would practise two hours a day. 

⚠ We can replace would by used to in this type of sentence:

• She would practise two hours a day. = She used to practise two hours a day.

7 – Would have + Past participle

This formula is used to imagine possible or impossible hypotheses in the past:

• We would have preferred to eat pizzas. 
• He wouldn’t have accepted. 
• I would have done it if I had known. 

Compare the following sentences:

• I would like to leave quickly.
• I would have liked to leave quickly.

8 – Would Rather

The formula I’d rather (= I would rather) means ‘I like (I would like) better’, ‘I prefer’ (I would prefer).

• I’d rather stay here. 
• I’d rather not go out tonight. 

There is another possible construction:

• I’d rather you stayed here. 
• I’d rather he didn’t know.

You can also add ‘than’ to compare:

• I’d rather stay at home tomnight than go to the cinema. 

⚠ Be careful not to confuse the construction of I’d rather with I’d prefer:

• I’d rather go there by bus ≠ I’d prefer to go there by bus.

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How to use could and couldn’t in English sentences

 

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Could is the preterite of can. It expresses a capacity in the past. Couldn’t express a disability in the past, or something hypothetical.

COULD

Could can express a capacity or permission in the past (it is used as the past of can):

• I could smell something burning. 
• My grandmother could speak six languages. 
• I was totally free. I could go where I wanted. 

Compare the following sentences:

• I can see something.  (present)
• I could see something. (past)

Could could mean a hypothetical ability, i.e. something could be realized or be true now or in the future (it’s similar to might or may):

• You could succeed if you worked harder. 
• I could go out with you but I’m tired. 
• They could arrive anytime now. 
• Could you do this exercise in one minute? 
• If we had some eggs I could make you some pancakes. 

We can use could to make a suggestion or talk about possible actions (we can then replace it with can):

• We could go to the movies tonight if you want. 
• When you go to London next week, you could stay at Paul’s place. 
• He could try to fix the car himself. 

Could also express a logical deduction:

• It could be true. 
• She could still be in bed. 
• It could freeze tonight. 
• Where’s Paul? He could be at Tony’s place. 

Could have + past participle is used to express a possibility in the past, but that has not happened (to make a criticism, or to express a hypothesis, for example):

• You could have broken your arm.
• He could have tried once more. 
• Your brother could have helped you. 
• We were lucky: we could have run out of petrol. 

Could also express unrealistic things:

• This place is amazing. I could stay here for ever. 

Could allows you to ask for permission or something politely, in the present:

• Could I please use your bathroom? 
• Could we move on to the next topic now please? 
• Could you pass me the salt please? 
• I’m busy right now. Could you call back later? 

COULDN’T

Couldn’t allows to express a disability in the past:

• I was so tired I couldn’t get up. 
• I couldn’t start my car this morning. 

This incapacity could be due to something that was not permitted or authorized:

• In high school, we couldn’t use our smartphones. 
• Tina couldn’t go to the party because her parents wouldn’t let her. 

With couldn’t, we doubt that anything is true, we are almost sure of what we are saying:

• It couldn’t be true.
• Paul couldn’t be at Tony’s place. 
• You couldn’t be hungry. You’ve just had some pizza. 

To express the impossibility of the past, we use couldn’t have + past participle:

• We had a really good evening. It couldn’t have been better. 
• Tina couldn’t have gone to the party because she was sick. 

 

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How to use should in English sentences

 

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Should is a modal verb. It is the preterite of shall (not used as often). We use should to give advice or suggest something, or to give our opinion. It’s less strong than must or have to. Should also serves to express a certainty.

Give advice or make a suggestion

Should indicates what should be done and is used as a recommendation or advice:

• You should read this book, it’s great. 
• You look tired. You should go to bed.
• You should go out more often. 
• When you go to Paris, you should visit the Louvres. 

To say that something is wrong:

We can use should in negative form to advise against or say that something is wrong:

• We shouldn’t leave without saying goodbye.
• I shouldn’t listen to you. 
• She shouldn’t eat too much. 
• You shouldn’t work so much. 
• He shouldn’t talk like that to his mother. 
• You shouldn’t believe everything he says. 

To request an opinion or advice

• Should we invite Kevin to the party? – Yes, I think we should. 
• What should I do? 

Express a regret or reproach

With the formula should + have + verb in the past participle, we express a regret or a reproach:

• You should have checked the timetable.
• I should have studied more but I was too tired. 
• We should have taken the train. 
• You should have come to the party last night. 
• You should have given your brother the key yesterday when he asked for it. 

Compare should (go) and should have (gone) in the following examples:

• You should eat your breakfast. 
• You should have eaten your breakfast. 

Give your opinion

We often use should with I think / I don’t think / Do you think… ? at the beginning of the sentence. This allows for the expression of personal judgment.

• I think she should stop smoking. 
• I don’t think we should tell her.
• You should be more careful.
• Do you think Sarah should see a doctor? 

Express a certitude

We also use should to express a certainty, a very high probability:

• This is not normal, he should be here by now. 
• She should pass her exams.
• By now, they should already be in Singapore.
• There are plenty of restaurants in the town. It shouldn’t be difficult to find somewhere to eat.

When the probability concerns the past, we use should have + past participle:

• They should have finished already. 
• He should have eaten by now. 

Express an obligation that is less than necessary

Sometimes should be used instead of must to make instructions, orders or rules more polite and less strong (we often see this on notices or information boards):

• Passengers should check in at least 2 hours before departure time. 
• On hearing the fire alarm, hotel guests should leave their room immediately. 

Express an unfulfilled obligation

In this case, we use should + be + verb -ing, to say that the subject does not act as it should.

• You should be wearing your seatbelt. 
• We should be studying for the test. 

OTHER VALUES OF SHOULD

One can use should in two types of subordinates in that:

1 – To express a judgment, after a sentence beginning with an adjective such as strange, funny, interesting, interesting, surprised, surprised, surprising + that… or by ‘it’s important/necessary/essential/vital that … should’.

• It’s strange that you should say that. 
• I’m amazed that he should think that. 
• It’s essential that everyone should be here on time. 

2 – After some verbs expressing an order, a request, such as suggest, insist, propose, request, recommend:

• She insisted that we should sing the song aloud. 
• They demanded that he should repay the money. 
• She insisted that I should have dinner with her. 

⚠️ However, it is not mandatory to use should in the above sentences!

• It’s strange that you should say that. = It’s strange that you say that. 
• I’m amazed that he should think that. = I’m amazed that he think that.
• It’s essential that everyone should be here on time. = It’s essential that everyone be here on time.
• She insisted that we should sing the song aloud. = She insisted that we sing the song aloud.
• They demanded that he should repay the money. = They demanded that he repay the money.
• She insisted that I should have dinner with her. = She insisted that I have dinner with her. 

With if or in case, to express a possibility:

• If/in case they should come, tell them to telephone. 

⚠️ To express an obligation we use would have to… and not should:

• If my dad was sent abroad I should would have to quit my school. 

 

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Either and Neither, what is the difference?

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We use either and neither to talk about two similar things and choices to be made. They can be determinants, pronouns or adverbs.

1 – EITHER

Either is always associated with the idea of a choice between several alternatives. It is always followed by a name in the singular:

• Either day suits me = A day or another day is ok for me.
• Either solution is good. = Both solutions are good.

When it is subject (whether it is a determinant or a pronoun), the verb is in the singular:

• Which pub shall we go? – We can go to either pub. 
• We have two choices. Either (of them) is fine. 

Either is often followed by of and it can also be used with a plural name or pronoun in this case:

• You can have either of the books. 
• Either of the hotels will be fine. 

Not… either is the negative equivalent of too. It is often placed at the end of the sentence:

• I don’t like wasting my time. – I don’t like it either. 
• She hasn’t had anything to eat and I haven’t either. 

Either is often used with ‘or’:

• You can either come with me or stay here. 
• He’s either shy or bored. 

If this conjunction is used with the subject, the following verb is in the singular:

• Either Sam or Tina has have taken it. 

⚠️ You can use Either alone, without any names:

• Do you want tea or coffee ? – Either. I don’t mind. 

⚠️To say “in any case”, “in either case”, we use the formula “Either way,…”:

• You can stay, or you can go. Either way, I’m going home. 

⚠️’On either side‘ means “on both sides, on both sides”:

• You can park on either side of the road.

2 – NEITHER

Neither is negative, it is used to express a double refusal. It is always used with an affirmative verb.

• Neither movie is any good. 
• Neither of them came. 
• Neither is fine with me.
• Neither solution is good. 

When it is subject (whether it is a determinant or a pronoun), the verb is in the singular

• We have two players, but neither of them is ready for the game. 

Neither… nor: we find this formula mainly in writing, it is not normally used orally:

• I like neither pizza nor pasta. (⚠️ but we normally say ‘I don’t like pizza or pasta‘).
• It’s neither good nor bad.  (⚠️ but we normally say ‘It’s not good or bad‘).
• They can neither read nor write. (⚠️ but we normally say ‘They can not read or write‘).

If this conjunction is used with the subject, the following verb is in the singular:

• Neither John nor Tina is coming tonight. 

⚠️Neither can be used alone, without any names:

• Is your friend British or Australian? – Neither. he’s Canadian. 

⚠️How can I say “me neither”?

It is necessary to take the affirmative form of the auxiliary of the starting sentence:

• She can’t swim. Neither can I.

The following formulas can be used:

Neither do I. (formal)  /  Me neither. (very familiar)  / I don’t either. (very familiar)

• He doesn’t like running. Neither do I. /Me neither. 

We can also say “Neither do we”, “we don’t either”, “neither do they”… to answer a negative sentence.

 

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How to use contractions in a sentence

 

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Used every day orally but also in writing in a familiar language register, contractions (or contracted forms) are part of the basic things to know in English: it is relatively simple, it is just a matter of shortening and combining two words by putting an apostrophe where the letters have disappeared.

Contractions can be made with the auxiliary verbs be, have and do, and modal auxiliaries. In affirmative sentences, only be, have, will/shall and would have contracted forms.

BE

In the affirmative form:

Only the forms of the present tense are contracted:

• I am = I’m
• you are = you’re
• he is = he’s
• she is = she’s
• it is = it’s
• we are = we’re
• they are = they’re

Examples:

• Hi, I‘m Kevin
• She‘s very kind 

In negative form:

To make the negative form of the first person singular, simply contract I am (= I’m) and add not: I am not becomes I’m not

• I’m not going to the party.

Be careful, in interro-negative sentences and tags, am not becomes aren’t:

• Aren’t I going to see you again? 
• She is right, aren’t she? 

are not becomes aren’t

• Aren’t you Frank’s sister? 

was not becomes wasn’t

• The water was not cold. 

is not becomes isn’t

• This isn’t free.

were not becomes weren’t

• Why weren’t you at school? 

HAVE

The forms of the present and the past can be contracted:

In the affirmative form and in the present

• I have = I’ve
• you have = you’ve
• he has = he’s
• she has = she’s
• it has = it’s
• we have = we’ve
• they have = they’ve

Examples:

• I‘ve been to New York twice (= I have been to New York twice) 
• My sister’s got married (= My sister has got married) 

⚠️ has is usually not contracted with a subject when it is the main verb of the sentence. Instead, we use got (which is the past participle of get):

• We have a yellow house : we don’t say We’ve a yellow house but We’ve got a yellow house
• I have good news : we don’t say I’ve good news but I’ve got good news

⚠️How not to confuse has and is when they are contracted? 

The contraction -‘s can be put in place of is as well as has:

She’s forgotten can mean the following:

• She has forgotten.
• She is forgotten.

To distinguish them it is simple: when it is followed by the past participle, it means that the contraction has been formed with has. In other cases, it is a question of is:

• He’s eaten = He has eaten
• He’s eating = He is eating 
• It’s rained = It has rained 
• It’s rain = It is rain

HAVE contracted in the past

• I had = I’d
• you had = you’d
• he had = he’d
• she had = she’d
• it had = it’d
• we had = we’d
• they had = they’d

Examples:

• I’d decided to leave (= I had decided to leave) 
• He’d changed his mind (= He had changed his mind) 

HAVE contracted to negative form:

have becomes haven’t

• We haven’t eaten yet.

has becomes hasn’t

• He hasn’t got it.

had becomes hadn’t

• I hadn’t seen my parents in five years.

WILL

Will is transformed into ‘ll with a contracted form:

• I‘ll come tomorrow.
• It‘ll be all right.

WOULD

Would is transformed into d’ in the contracted form:

• Tina said she‘d help me.
• I‘d rather have juice.

ATTENTION

The -‘d contraction can be put in place of had as well as would. The -d’ used for had only appears in past perfect sentences and is always followed by a past participle.

I wish that he’d leave can mean the following:

• I wish that he had left.
• I wish that he would leave.

Other common contractions

• that is / that has = that’s
• that will = that’ll 
• that would = that’d 
• that had = that’d
• there is / there has = there’s
• there has = there’s
• there will = there’ll
• there had = there’d
• there would = there’d
• let us = let’s 
• here is = here’s
• what is / what has = what’s
• what will / what shall = what’ll 
• where is / where has = where’s 
• who is / who has = who’s
• who have = who’ve
• who had / who would = who’d 
• who will / who shall = who’ll 

Negative contractions

DO

do becomes don’t

• I don’t live here.

does becomes doesn’t

• She doesn’t agree.

did becomes didn’t

• Why didn’t you tell me? 

MODAL AUXILIARIES

In negative and interrogative sentences, all auxiliaries have contracted forms (except may):

can becomes can’t

• Sarah can’t speak french.

could becomes couldn’t

• When I was young, I couldn’t eat cheese.

should becomes shouldn’t

• You shouldn’t smoke.

would becomes wouldn’t

• I wouldn’t say that if I were you.

must becomes mustn’t

• You mustn’t be so slow.

will becomes won’t

• I won’t go to Japan.

need becomes needn’t

• You needn’t call him. He will be here in five minutes.

might becomes mightn’t

• He mightn’t have come.

CONTRACTIONS: SOME TIPS TO KNOW

⚠️Contractions with BE cannot be used alone, in response to a question 

• Who is leaving? → I am. I’m.
• Is it ok? → Yes, it is Yes, it’s.
• Are they gone? → Yes, they are. Yes, they’re.

⚠️Do not confuse the’d’ of the contracted form of would and had 

The auxiliary verbs would and had both contract with ‘d. How to distinguish them?

Would is always followed by an infinitive verb (without to)

• I‘d like some water please. (= I would like some water please.) 
• I‘d be glad to meet her. (= I would be glad to meet her.) 

Had is followed by a past participle and allows to conjugate to the perfect past, EXCEPT for some expressions (had better, had best…) that use had without being followed by a past participle:

• She‘d been in my room for three hours. (= She had been in my room for three hours.) 
• He‘d been watching TV for hours. (= He had been watching TV for hours.) 

– Would rather / had rather ? –

In the contracted form, they cannot be distinguished… but they mean the same thing:

• I’d rather stay at home tonight = I would rather stay at home tonight / I had rather stay at home tonight

⚠️In spoken and familiar language, and especially in American English, the preposition sometimes contracts with the verbal form or name preceding it: 

• I gotta go (= I got to) 
• She’s kinda strange (= kind of) 
• I’m gonna kill you! (= going to) 
• Where are y’all at? (= Where are you all at?) 

⚠️Be careful not to confuse it’s and its in writing! 

it’s is the contraction of it is or it has

• I think it’s going to rain on Friday. 

its is a possessive pronoun:

• That’s its car.

To find out if you should use it’s or its in writing, just try to replace the word with it is or it has and see if it makes a correct sentence.

 “Its raining outside” doesn’t mean anything, for example. We must therefore say: It’s (= It is) raining outside.

⚠️They’re, Their and There 

Be careful not to confuse the three!

• They’re = they are (They’re happy to see me)
• Their = possessive pronoun  (What is their phone number?)
• There = indicates the location  (There is a present on the table)

⚠️A few contractions formed by compressing a word: 

Mr. = Mister
Dr. = Doctor
Prof. = Professor
o’ = of
o’clock = of the clock
Ma’am = Madam

⚠️An apostrophe does not necessarily mean that it is a contraction 

You can add an apostrophe to a name to indicate ownership, belonging:

• Sam’s house  = The house belongs to Sam 
• The dogs’ food  = The food belongs to the dogs 

 

©Englishfornoobs.com

 

Must and have to – Grammar rules

 

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Feel free to leave a comment if you find any errors or if you have any suggestions to make to improve this lesson.

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To express obligation, constraint or certainty, in the present tense, we have the choice between MUST and HAVE TO. There are some small differences between the two:

MUST is a modal, it is always in the present tense and always expresses the point of view of the speaker, to give his opinion or impose an obligation on himself or someone else. It is often found in written rules or to give instructions.

HAVE TO is used to say that someone is obliged to do something because they are obliged by law to do so, a rule or they simply have no choice. Have to does not express an opinion. Rather, it translates as ‘it is necessary that…’.

To put it simply, must is more accurate and strong than have to.

Examples:

• I must wake up early tomorrow.
• I have to quit smoking. 
• He has to go to school tomorrow. 
• Do I have to wear this suit? 
• Applications must be sent to the following address.

You can’t use must in the future or in the past, you have to use have to:

• present: I must quit my job. 
• past: I had to quit my job. 
• future: I will have to quit my job. 

⚠️ We can not say ‘I will must…’ or ‘She had must…’, these are mistakes!!!!

MUST NOT (MUSTN’T) and DON’T HAVE TO

Remember, the negative form of Must and Have to are completely different, do not confuse them!

Must not expresses a prohibition (to forbid something), something that it is necessary not to do (you can also use mustn’t instead of must not, it’s the same thing).

Doesn’t have to / Don’t have to express an absence of obligation and means “not to be obliged to…”. Do not confuse:

• You don’t have to leave, but you can if you want to (= You needn’t leave) 
• You mustn’t leave  (it’s a prohibition).
• He’s rich. He doesn’t have to work. 
• You’re pregnant. You mustn’t smoke. 

MUST KNOW:

⚠️ To give orders, is/are can also be used, especially for children:

• You’re not to do that.

⚠️ When you want to give advice, you have to use should:

• She should not eat that.

⚠️ If you want to talk about a potential obligation, use would have to:

• You would have to work if I left my job.

⚠️ You can also use needn’t instead of don’t have to.

• She doesn’t have to eat / She needn’t eat.

⚠️ We can use have got to instead of have to.

• I‘ve got to see that movie = I have to see that movie.

 

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