Responsibilities and Obligations
Must and Have to
Must - Strong Personal Obligation
Use 'must' in the positive form to speak about strong personal obligations that you feel are crucial at the moment of speaking.
I must pay off my bank loan soon.
I must object to the cash flow statement.
Have to - Responsibilities
'Have to' is used to indicate responsibilities at work. Use 'have to' to talk about daily responsibilities and obligation in general. 'Have to' is often confused with 'must'. The main difference is that 'have to' expresses obligation to work, family, friends, etc. 'Must' is used to indicate strong personal obligation that is felt at the moment of speaking.
'Have to' differs from other modal forms. 'Have to' is conjugated and followed by the base form.
Positive Form:
You have to give a down payment.
Negative Form:
You don't have to worry about that withholding tax.
Question Form:
Do they have to revise the stock dividend?
Had to
When speaking in the past, there is only one way to express obligation: 'Had to' We use 'had to' when we speak about past responsibilities and strong personal obligations.
Example:
He had to reach an agreement on the last day in August.
I had to forfeit the interest accrual when I made an early withdrawal.
Must vs. Have To
'Have to' expresses everyday responsibilities at work, or for family and friends. 'Must' is only used for strong personal obligations.
Example 'Have to' for Responsibilities:
You have to give a down payment.
You have to count the cash at the end of day before you begin your audit of receipts.
Example 'Must' for Strong Obligations:
I must pay off my bank loan soon.
I must object to the cash flow statement.
The difference between 'have to' and 'must' in the negative is extreme. 'Not have to' signifies a lack of obligation. 'Mustn't', on the other hand, signifies prohibition. The past form of both 'must' and 'have to' is 'had to'
Example 'Have to' for No Obligation:
This doesn't have to include every asset in your home.
You don't have to worry about that withholding tax.
Example 'Mustn't' for Prohibition:
You mustn't throw the files away because the boss won't allow it.
You must not be careless about the capital assets.