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Using must, have to, should, ought to, need and related expressions.
English uses must, have to, need to, should, ought to, and related expressions to describe obligation, necessity, recommendation, and advice.
These expressions differ in strength, source of obligation, time reference, and degree of certainty.
You must wear a seat belt.
Ты должен пристегнуть ремень безопасности.
"Must" expresses strong obligation.
I have to work tomorrow.
Мне нужно завтра работать.
"Have to" expresses external necessity.
You should get some rest.
Тебе следует отдохнуть.
"Should" expresses advice.
Must expresses strong obligation or a rule that the speaker considers necessary.
For example, You must wear a seat belt and We must finish this today.
You must wear a seat belt.
Ты должен пристегнуть ремень безопасности.
Strong obligation, rule.
We must finish this today.
Мы должны закончить это сегодня.
Speaker-imposed obligation.
She must stop smoking.
Ей нужно бросить курить.
Strong advice/obligation.
Have to expresses necessity or obligation that often comes from external circumstances, rules, or requirements.
For example, I have to work tomorrow and Students have to wear uniforms.
I have to work tomorrow.
Мне нужно завтра работать.
External necessity.
Students have to wear uniforms.
Ученики должны носить форму.
Rule or external requirement.
She has to take medicine every day.
Ей нужно принимать лекарство каждый день.
Necessity due to circumstances.
Must and have to can both express obligation, but must often presents the obligation as coming from the speaker or the situation while have to often presents it as an external requirement.
Compare I must call my mother with I have to wear a uniform at work.
I must call my mother.
Я должен позвонить маме.
Speaker feels the obligation personally.
I have to wear a uniform at work.
На работе мне нужно носить форму.
External rule imposes the obligation.
We must hurry or we will miss the train.
Нам нужно поторопиться, иначе мы опоздаем на поезд.
Situation-based strong necessity (speaker feels it).
Need to expresses that an action is necessary or required.
For example, You need to submit the form today and We need to leave now.
You need to submit the form today.
Тебе нужно подать форму сегодня.
Need to for requirement.
We need to leave now.
Нам нужно уходить сейчас.
Immediate necessity.
He needs to study harder.
Ему нужно больше заниматься.
Necessity for a goal.
Should is commonly used to give advice, recommendations, or mild obligation.
For example, You should get some rest and We should leave soon.
You should get some rest.
Тебе следует отдохнуть.
Advice.
We should leave soon.
Нам следует скоро уходить.
Recommendation.
She should see a doctor.
Ей следует обратиться к врачу.
Advice.
Ought to expresses advice, recommendation, or expectation and is often similar in meaning to should.
For example, You ought to apologize and We ought to be more careful.
You ought to apologize.
Тебе следует извиниться.
Ought to for advice, similar to should.
We ought to be more careful.
Нам следует быть осторожнее.
Recommendation.
He ought to study for the exam.
Ему следует готовиться к экзамену.
Advice.
Should and ought to usually express similar meanings, but should is much more common in everyday English.
Ought to is somewhat more formal and is less common in many varieties of spoken English.
You should apologize.
Тебе следует извиниться.
Should: common, everyday advice.
You ought to apologize.
Тебе следует извиниться.
Ought to: similar meaning, more formal/less common.
We should leave now.
Нам следует уходить сейчас.
Should preferred in speech.
Must not expresses a strong prohibition against doing something.
For example, You must not touch this button and Visitors must not enter this area.
You must not touch this button.
Нельзя трогать эту кнопку.
Strong prohibition.
Visitors must not enter this area.
Посетителям запрещено входить в эту зону.
Prohibition in rules.
You must not smoke here.
Здесь нельзя курить.
Prohibition.
Do not have to means that something is not necessary or required.
For example, You do not have to come early means that coming early is optional.
You do not have to come early.
Тебе не обязательно приходить рано.
Lack of necessity; optional.
We don't have to pay today.
Нам не нужно платить сегодня.
No requirement.
She doesn't have to work on Saturdays.
Ей не нужно работать по субботам.
No obligation.
Must not means prohibition, while do not have to means lack of necessity.
Compare You must not park here with You do not have to pay today.
You must not park here.
Здесь нельзя парковаться.
Prohibition.
You do not have to pay today.
Сегодня можно не платить.
No necessity.
We must not be late.
Нам нельзя опаздывать.
Prohibition.
Need not expresses that an action is unnecessary.
It is a modal form and is especially common in formal British English. For example, You need not wait.
You need not wait.
Тебе не нужно ждать.
Formal British English: lack of necessity.
She need not come if she is busy.
Ей не обязательно приходить, если она занята.
Need not: no requirement.
You need not worry.
Тебе не нужно беспокоиться.
Formal reassurance.
Need not and do not need to can express the same general meaning of lack of necessity.
Need not is more formal in many contexts, while do not need to is common in everyday English.
You need not wait.
Тебе не нужно ждать.
Formal.
You do not need to wait.
Тебе не нужно ждать.
Everyday English.
They need not worry.
Им не нужно беспокоиться.
Formal.
Had better expresses strong advice or a warning about what is advisable in a particular situation.
For example, You had better leave now and We had better call them.
You had better leave now.
Тебе лучше уйти сейчас.
Strong advice/warning.
We had better call them.
Нам лучше позвонить им.
Advisable action.
She had better not be late.
Ей лучше не опаздывать.
Negative warning.
Should not or should not expresses advice against doing something.
For example, You should not drive when you are tired and We should not ignore the warning.
You should not drive when you are tired.
Тебе не следует садиться за руль уставшим.
Negative advice.
We should not ignore the warning.
Нам не следует игнорировать предупреждение.
Advice against.
He shouldn't eat so much sugar.
Ему не следует есть так много сахара.
Negative recommendation.
Ought not to can express negative advice or a recommendation against an action.
For example, You ought not to speak to him like that. This form is less common than should not.
You ought not to speak to him like that.
Тебе не следует так с ним разговаривать.
Negative advice, more formal.
She ought not to go alone.
Ей не следует идти одной.
Advice against.
We ought not to waste time.
Нам не следует терять время.
Negative recommendation.
Past obligation is commonly expressed with had to rather than must.
For example, I had to leave early yesterday because I was ill.
I had to leave early yesterday because I was ill.
Вчера мне пришлось уйти рано, потому что я болел.
Had to expresses past obligation.
She had to work late last night.
Вчера вечером ей пришлось работать допоздна.
Past necessity.
We had to cancel the trip.
Нам пришлось отменить поездку.
External past necessity.
Future necessity can be expressed with will have to, will need to, or other appropriate constructions.
For example, You will have to renew your passport next year.
You will have to renew your passport next year.
В следующем году тебе придётся продлить паспорт.
Future necessity with will have to.
We will need to book tickets in advance.
Нам нужно будет заранее забронировать билеты.
Future necessity with will need to.
She won't have to work tomorrow.
Завтра ей не нужно будет работать.
Future lack of necessity.
Should have and ought to have can express advice or criticism about an action that should have happened in the past.
For example, You should have called me and She ought to have checked the details.
You should have called me.
Тебе следовало позвонить мне.
Should have for past criticism/advice.
She ought to have checked the details.
Ей следовало проверить детали.
Ought to have for past advice.
They should have arrived earlier.
Им следовало приехать раньше.
Past expectation/criticism.
Should have + past participle can express regret, criticism, or an expectation that was not fulfilled.
For example, You should have told me earlier.
You should have told me earlier.
Тебе следовало сказать мне раньше.
Regret/criticism.
He should have studied harder.
Ему следовало учиться усерднее.
Criticism.
I should have brought an umbrella.
Мне следовало взять зонт.
Regret.
Must followed by have and a past participle expresses deduction about the past, while must have to expresses past or future necessity only through appropriate surrounding grammar.
Compare She must have forgotten with She had to leave early.
She must have forgotten.
Она, должно быть, забыла.
Must have + past participle = deduction about past.
She had to leave early.
Ей пришлось уйти рано.
Past obligation: had to, not must have.
He must have been tired.
Он, должно быть, устал.
Deduction.
Advice is generally weaker than obligation, and the choice of modal changes the force of the statement.
Compare You should see a doctor with You must see a doctor.
You should see a doctor.
Тебе следует обратиться к врачу.
Advice: weaker.
You must see a doctor.
Ты должен обратиться к врачу.
Obligation: stronger.
You have to see a doctor.
Тебе нужно обратиться к врачу.
Necessity (external).
English can distinguish between obligations imposed by the speaker and obligations imposed by external rules or circumstances.
Must often presents a personal or speaker-imposed obligation, while have to commonly presents external necessity.
I must remember to call her.
Я должен не забыть позвонить ей.
Personal, speaker-imposed.
I have to call her because of the contract.
Мне нужно позвонить ей из-за контракта.
External requirement.
We must be careful.
Мы должны быть осторожны.
Personal decision.
Different modal expressions communicate different levels of force.
A rough scale may range from should and ought to through need to and have to to must, although context can change the strength.
You should consider the offer.
Тебе следует рассмотреть предложение.
Weak advice.
You need to decide soon.
Тебе нужно скоро решить.
Necessity.
You must decide now.
Ты должен решить сейчас.
Strong obligation.
The choice between must, have to, need to, should, ought to, and related expressions depends partly on register.
Have to, need to, and should are very common in everyday English, while ought to and need not may sound more formal.
I have to go.
Мне нужно идти.
Informal/common.
I must go.
Я должен идти.
Slightly more formal/strong.
You ought to be more careful.
Вам следует быть осторожнее.
Formal/less common in speech.
Use obligation and advice expressions according to their exact meaning and grammatical pattern.
Common mistakes include confusing must not with do not have to, using must for all past obligations, omitting to after have to or ought to, and confusing should have with should.
You must not to smoke here.
Здесь нельзя курить.
Incorrect: no "to" after must; "You must not smoke here."
I musted leave early yesterday.
Вчера мне пришлось уйти рано.
Incorrect: must has no past form; use "had to".
You don't have to park here.
Здесь нельзя парковаться.
Incorrect if prohibition intended: use "must not" or "can't". "Don't have to" means optional.
She should have to call me.
Ей следовало позвонить мне.
Incorrect: use "should have called", not "should have to call".