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.
Due to current inflation we must put a control on our spending
I must pay off my bank loan soon.
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:
The client has to use the call option by Monday.
Negative Form:
You do not have to have any assets in order to secure a credit card.
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:
Susan had to revise the balance sheet last week.
Jacob had to file the balance sheet last month.
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 count the cash at the end of day before you begin your audit of receipts.
You have to give a down payment.
Example 'Must' for Strong Obligations:
Due to current inflation we must put a control on our spending
I must pay off my bank loan soon.
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:
I told the client "You don't have to overdraw your account if you are short at the end of the month if you have one of our credit cards."
You do not have to have any assets in order to secure a credit card.
Example 'Mustn't' for Prohibition:
We mustn't default even a single day to pay our bank draft to avoid penalties.
You mustn't forget to balance your checking account.