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Newguest Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

have/must/need

0Hi. I read quite a lot about these three, however I still have some doubts from time to time.02br
02br
00Let's imagine such a scene.02br
02br
00A guy is at the party, everybody's having fun, but he suddenly stands up and says:02br
02br
00a) All right guys, I 01b00have02b00 to go. 02br
02br
00b) All right guys, I 01b00must02b00 go.02br
02br
00c) All right guys, I 01b00need 02b00to go.02br
02br
00Could you tell me, shortly, how I should understand each of his statements?0-
  

Top answer

00 This is the most idiomatic. 02font 02br 02br 01font 00b) All right, guys. I must go.

— Clive

  • 00 This is the most idiomatic.
  • 02font 02br 02br 01font 00b) All right, guys.
  • I must go.
  • 02br 02br 01font 00c) All right guys, I 01b 00need 02b 00to go.
  • 02font 02br 02br 00Best wishes, Clive02br 02br 01font 02font 0-
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8 Answers
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0Hi,02br
02br
00I01font00 read quite a lot about these three, however I still have some doubts from time to time.02font02br
02br
01font00Let's imagine such a scene.02font00 Here are a few brief and perhaps somewhat subjective comments.02br
02br
01font
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1blockquote
01cite10Clive12cite12br
10Hi,12br
12br
10I11font10 read quite a lot about these three, however I still have some doubts from time to time.12font12br
12br
11font10Let's imagine such a scene.12font10 Here are a few bri
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0Hi,02br
02br
01font00So "must" is stronger than "have to"? And "need" is the weakest of them? 02font00Very generally speaking, although I did say my comments were a bit subjective. And, of course, much depends on the context.02br
02br
01font00I thought that when you say "have to" you have
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0 I have to go / I've got to go / I('ve) gotta go => Normal, most common02br
00I must go => same as "have to", but much less common in American English.02br
00I need to go => ok. It says "going somewhere" is a need you have, for some reason. I wouldn't know how to explain the difference between this and the others, but I guess in many contexts it probably sounds
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0Thanks 050010id1
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0a) All right guys, I 01b00have02b00 to go. The speaker is obligated to leave. Maybe he has an appointment to keep. 02br
02br
00b) All right guys, I 01b00must02b00go. The meaning is the same as the previous. Not used in the United States unless you're dressed in a top hat and tails. And in that case, you would rephrase as "G
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0Thanks CJ. So, actually, there is not much difference between "must" and "have to"?02br
02br
00If someone says: You must go! OR You have to go! They mean almost the same?0-
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0In an AmE context, at the New York Times, the frequencies are:02br
0016,200 from nytimes.com for "I have to go"02br
00 1,680 from nytimes.com for "I must go"02br
00 1,490 from nytimes.com for "I need to go"02br
00In an BrE context, at the BBC, the frequencies are:02br
01b004,87002b00 from 01b00bbc.co.uk
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