Speaker 1: Do you ever feel like English has just too many
ways to say the same thing. Maybe you've wondered why
English has have to, must, need to, and I'm supposed
to when they all seem to mean something like I
should do this, like I have to work late, I
must finish this, I need to call her, I'm supposed
to send the email. All of those sound similar, but
native speakers use them in different situations, and each one
has a slightly different feeling. If you always use just
one of them, your English can sound a little stiff,
or that textbook English feeling can creep in. So today
let's break these down and look at how native speakers
really use them in everyday conversation.
Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from
New York City, and here's your English teacher, Michael.
Speaker 1: All right, thank you John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael
here from Happy English and I help people speak English better.
And this is Happy English Podcast, Episode nine sixty eight,
talking about obligation in English. Have to, must, need to,
and suppose to. Today we'll look at four very common
ways to talk about obligation, rules and expectations, and you'll
hear how each one sounds a little different, even though
they're all connected to the topic of things we should do.
Let's start with have too. Have to is probably the
most common and the most neutral. We use it for rules, responsibilities,
and things that are necessary, especially when the reason comes
from outside us. For example, I have to work tomorrow.
That's not a personal opinion, it's just a fact. Or
I have to pay my rent by Friday. George works
in a factory, so he has to wear a helmet
at work. Native speakers use have to all the time
in daily conversations. I notice this. Even though have to
looks like a present tense verb, we use it in
all tenses, like I had to leave early or I
have to call her later. Next, let's talk about must.
Must is stronger than have to, but it's also used
less often in conversation. When we use must, it usually
sounds very strong, very serious, or very formal, like you
must wear a seat belt, or you must show your ID.
You'll see must a lot when there's a rule or
a sign, and in announcements or written instructions. In everyday conversation,
Native speakers don't use must very much unless they want
to sound dramatic, serious, or very clear. Sometimes must comes
from the speaker's personal feeling, like I must talk to
her today. That sounds emotional, like it's very important. But
in casual daily talk we usually prefer have to instead
of must, as in I have to talk to her today.
By the way, sometimes we use must to make suggestions,
like a new restaurant, a new movie, and so on.
Someone may say, Oh, you must go see that new
movie with Jack Black, it's hilarious, or you must try
that new Mexican restaurant in town the food is amazing.
Notice that in both of those examples I stressed the
word must, and using must this way does have a
formal or sophisticated sound to it. That's why when making suggestions,
we also prefer have to instead of must, as in
you have to go see that new movie it's hilarious.
Let's get back to talking about obligation with need to.
Need to is softer than must, and it focuses on importance,
not rules. When you say need to, you're often talking
about something that you feel is important, helpful, and even
lodge go to do, Like I need to get more sleep.
This isn't something the doctor told me. I feel it's necessary.
Here are some other examples, we need to leave early
if we want to catch the train, or you need
to back up your computer. Need to sounds practical and reasonable,
and need to doesn't sound like in order. It sounds
like good advice, and just like have to, need to
is very common in natural conversation. And finally, let's talk
about be supposed to. This one is very important and
very useful for talking about obligation. Be supposed to is
not about rules or personal needs. It's about expectations. Be
supposed to means this is what other people expect or
this is the plan, even if it doesn't happen, like
I'm supposed to meet Jenny at six point thirty tonight,
or we're supposed to finish our homework by tomorrow, or
I'm still waiting to hear from Jack. He's supposed to
call me back. And here's something interesting. We often use
be supposed to when something doesn't happen, like he was
supposed to call but he didn't, or the train was
supposed to arrive at nine but it's late again. So
be supposed to is very common when we're talking about plans, expectations,
and when we're making mild complaints based on those plans
and expectations. So let's put this all together. We use
have to when we talk about rules and real life possibilities.
You have to wear a seatbelt when you drive. We
use must when there are strong rules and laws. The
sign says you must have a permit to go fishing
in this lake. We use need to when we talk
about importance and good judgment, like I need to start exercising.
And finally, we use be supposed to when there are
expectations and plans. You're supposed to study English every day
in order to keep improving. That's why native speakers don't
use just one word to talk about obligations. We choose
based on the situation, not just the grammar. Let me
ask you something before we wrap up. What's one thing
you have to do this week? What's something you need
to do soon? And is there anything you were supposed
to do but you didn't try answering those out loud.
That's how you build real fluency. And remember the best
way to remember English like this and any other word
or phrase in English is to take that word or phrase,
write it in a sentence that's true for you or
true in your world, and then memorize your sentences. That's
how you build fluency. I suppose you were waiting for
me to say that, Hey, thanks for listening, and remember,
learning another language is not easy, but it's not impossible,
and I'm here to help you on your journey.
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