Tener que vs hay que: have to and must in Spanish

Tengo que — I have to

«tengo que» plus a bare infinitive means I HAVE TO. Compare «quiero trabajar» (want to, no linker) and «voy a trabajar» (going to, «a» not «que»). Never drop «que»: «tengo trabajar» is ungrammatical.

• Tengo que estudiar

  I have to study

• Tengo que estudiar hoy

  I have to study today

• Tengo que trabajar hoy

  I have to work today

• Tengo que trabajar

  I have to work

Puedo vs. tengo que

«puedo trabajar» = I CAN work (ability). «tengo que trabajar» = I HAVE TO work (obligation). Same infinitive, different meaning. And «no tengo que trabajar» means I don't have to work, not that I must not.

• ¿Tienes que estudiar hoy?

  Do you have to study today?

• Puede trabajar, pero no tiene que trabajar hoy

  She can work, but she doesn't have to work today

• Puedo nadar, pero no tengo que nadar hoy

  I can swim, but I don't have to swim today

• Puedo trabajar, pero no tengo que trabajar hoy

  I can work, but I don't have to work today

Hay que — one has to, it's necessary to

«hay que» plus a bare infinitive states a GENERAL rule: no yo, no tú, and it never changes form. «tengo que trabajar» means I, specifically, have to work. «hay que trabajar» means one has to work, whoever you are.

• Hay que estudiar hoy

  One has to study today

• Hay que trabajar hoy

  One has to work today

• Hay que trabajar hoy, y también hay que estudiar

  One has to work today, and one also has to study

Hay vs. hay que — two different jobs

«hay» plus a noun means there is or there are: «hay un banco», there's a bank. «hay» plus «que» plus an infinitive means one has to: «hay que ir», one has to go. Same first word, completely different sentence.

• Me duele el pie, pero hay que ir al hospital

  My foot hurts, but one has to go to the hospital

• Hay una farmacia cerca de la estación

  There's a pharmacy near the station

• Hay un hospital cerca, pero hay que ir mañana

  There's a hospital nearby, but one has to go tomorrow

• Hay una farmacia cerca, pero hay que ir a la estación ahora

  There's a pharmacy nearby, but one has to go to the station now

El cuadro completo

«hay que» + infinitive — a rule for anyone. «tengo/tienes/tiene que» + infinitive — a rule for one person. Both stay bare after «que» — never «hay que trabajo», never «tengo que trabajo».

• Hay que trabajar hoy, pero no hay que ir al hospital — necesito dormir

  One has to work today, but one doesn't have to go to the hospital; I need to sleep

• Tiene que ir en bicicleta al banco

  He has to go by bicycle to the bank

• No hay que ir a la estación, está cerca del banco

  One doesn't have to go to the station, it's close to the bank

• Hay que comprar pan y leche, pero tienes que ir al banco en bicicleta

  One has to buy bread and milk, but you have to go to the bank by bicycle

Check yourself

Questions from the course. Pick an answer to check it; nothing is saved.

1. 1.Which one means 'I have to work'?

   tengo trabajarquiero que trabajartengo que trabajarvoy que trabajar

2. 2.Which one means 'I can work'?

   puedo trabajartengo que trabajarquiero trabajarpuedo que trabajar

3. 3.Which one means 'one has to work' (a general rule, not about you)?

   tengo que trabajarhay trabajarhay que trabajohay que trabajar

4. 4.Which one means 'there's a hospital'?

   hay un hospitalhay que hospitalhay que un hospitalhay hospital

5. 5.Which one means 'one has to buy' (a general errand, not your own need)?

   hay que comprarnecesito comprartengo que comprarhay comprar