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1 Compare:
 | Tim had to go to the dentist's. (En Tim va haver d'anar al dentista.)
(Here, Tim went to the dentist's.) |
| Pam should have gone to the dentist's. (La Pam havia d'anar al dentista.)
(Here, Pam did not go to the dentist's.) |
Normally didn't have to implies that the action did not happen, e.g.:
| We didn't have to pay to see the exhibition.
(No vam haver de pagar per veure l'exposició.) |
| Ron shouldn't have accepted the money. (En Ron no hauria d'haver acceptat els diners.)
(This implies that Ron accepted the money.) |
2 Here are examples:
| You must leave early. (Cal que sortis de bona hora.) |
| Do we have to pay? (Hem de pagar?) |
| Have we got to pay? (Hem de pagar?) |
| You should have a hot drink. (Hauries de prendre una beguda calenta.) |
| You ought to have a hot drink. (Hauries de prendre una beguda calenta.) |
3 Here are examples:
| Tom's away today, but I must talk to him tomorrow.
(En Tom no hi és avui, però hauré de parlar amb ell demà.) |
| A big order's come in so we'll have to work on Saturday.
(Ha arribat una gran comanda i per tant haurem de treballar el dissabte.) |
| You mustn't forget to buy some bread this evening.
(No has d'oblidar a comprar pa aquest vespre.) |
4 Compare:
| You mustn't drink and drive; it's dangerous.
(No has de beure i conduir; és perillós.) |
| Car drivers don't have to wear helmets.
(Els conductors de cotxe no han de portar casc.) |
In other words, mustn't expresses obligation not to do something, but don't have to expresses that there is no obligation.
| You shouldn't eat so much.
(No hauries de menjar tant.) |
| You oughtn't to eat so much.
(No hauries de menjar tant.) |
In other words, should and ought are synonymous, but ought needs to.
5 An example:
| With the new law my son won't have to do military service.
(Amb la nova llei, el meu fill no haurà de fer el servei militar.) |
6 Here are examples:
| After my eighteenth birthday, I was allowed to come home late.
(Després de cumplir divuit anys, em deixaven tornar tard a casa.) |
| A: Can I sit here? (Puc seure aquí?) |
| | B: You cansit wherever you like. (Pots seure on vulguis.) |
| C: May I smoke here? (Puc fumar aquí?) |
| | D: Yes, you may. / No, you may not. (Sí, pots. / No, no pots.) |
Notice that may expresses permission of the speaker towards the other person or, in a question, asks the permission of the other person. Consequently, we cannot say may you: May you come tomorrow?
Notice that can is also used for capacity. Consequently, the following sentence has two interpretations.
| Can you lift heavy things?
(Pots (= ets capaç o et deixen) aixecar coses pesades.) |
In order to avoid this ambiguity, we can express permission with be allowed to:
| Were you allowed to lift heavy things?
(Et deixaven aixecar coses pesades?) |
| Are you allowed to lift heavy things?
(Et deixen aixecar coses pesades?) |
| Will you be allowed to lift heavy things?
(Et deixaran aixecar coses pesades?) |
7 Examples:
| We need to practise a lot.
(Necessitem practicar molt.) |
| They don't need to pay everything now.
(No cal que paguin tot ara.) |
Notice that there is a difference in meaning between the past structures with need:
| Peter needn't have waited for me. (No era necessari que en Peter m'esperés.)
(This implies that Peter waited.) |
| Mary didn't need to take her passport. (La Mary no necessitava portar el passaport.)
(Here, there is no implication either that Mary took her passport or that she didn't.) |
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