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Must

Must, like have to (L2U2L4), means "it is necessary." We also use must to talk about rules.

For example: You must do your homework.

Sometimes, must is used to make a suggestion or to show that we understand something.

For example: You must see that movie.
You didn't eat anything all day. You must be hungry.

Like all modals, must:

  1. is followed by the base form of the verb without to.
  2. does not change (no -s and no -ing).
  3. forms questions without do.
Subject Must Base Verb Examples
I / You
must
say I must say goodbye.
He / She / It do He must do his homework.
We / They finish They must finish it on time.

Must has no past or future form. We use have to instead (for more on have to see L2U2L4).

For example: You didn't have to come yesterday, but you must come today.
You must clean your room now, or you will have to clean it tomorrow.

Must not / mustn’t is a special case. See below.

Sometimes we use must in a question, but it is very formal. In questions, do + have to is more commonly used.

For example: Must I come with you? (formal)
Do I have to come with you? (common)

Must Subject Base Verb Examples

Must
I / you come Must I come too?
he / she / it wear Must he wear a tie?
we / you / they stay Must they stay here?

To make a Wh- question, add the Wh- word at the beginning of the Yes/No question.

For example: When must we be there? (formal)
When do I have to be there? (common)

When we want to say that something is not necessary, we use don't have to in its different forms (L2U2L4). We don’t use must not or mustn’t (see below for explanation of mustn’t).

For example: She must do her homework,
but she doesn't have to do it now.

Mustn't

Must not / Mustn't means that something is not allowed.

For example: You mustn't make noise here!
You mustn’t touch anything.

When speaking, the first t in mustn’t is silent.

Polite Expressions

The modals would, may, can and could are used in polite expressions. We use them when we want to ask for something politely, when we want to offer help or when we ask for permission.

For example: Would you please open the door for me?
May I bring you something to drink?

The expression would like is a more polite way of saying want.

For example: I would like (I'd like) to buy these books, please.
Would you like to dance?