a infinitive

Writers often slip into past-tense verbs after 'have to'-as if the obligation already happened. The correct pattern is have/has/had + to + base verb: I have to go; she has to decide; we had to leave.

Below are concise rules, many copy-and-paste wrong/right repairs, workplace/school/casual examples, rewrite drills, a memory trick, and a short FAQ to fix sentences fast.

Quick answer

'Have to' (have/has) must be followed by the base form of the verb: have to + do, have to + go. For past obligations use 'had to' + base verb. For negatives use do-support: don't/doesn't/didn't have to.

Wrong: I have to went to the meeting.
Right: I have to go to the meeting.
Past obligation: I had to stay late (not I have to stayed).
Negative: She doesn't have to come (no obligation).

Core grammar (short)

'Have to' behaves like a semi-modal: the auxiliary (have/has/had) carries tense; the verb after 'to' stays in the base form (go, do, write).

If the action is in the past, change have → had and keep the base verb: I had to finish. Never follow have/has with a past-tense verb.

Present: I have to submit the form.
Third person: She has to decide by Friday.
Past obligation: We had to cancel the trip.

Core-wrong: Wrong: I have to went. -
Right: I have to go.
Core-past: Wrong: We have to left early yesterday. -
Right: We had to leave early yesterday.
Core-negative: Wrong: He don't have to come. -
Right: He doesn't have to come.

Common wrong/right pairs (copy-and-paste fixes)

Change a past verb after have/has to its base form, or change have→had if the time is past.

1: Wrong: I have to went to the store. -
Right: I have to go to the store.
2: Wrong: I have to took my umbrella. -
Right: I have to take my umbrella.
3: Wrong: He has to did his homework. -
Right: He has to do his homework.
4: Wrong: We have to ate earlier tomorrow. -
Right: We have to eat earlier tomorrow.
5: Wrong: She has to wrote the report by Friday. -
Right: She has to write the report by Friday.
6: Wrong: They have to been on time for every shift. -
Right: They have to be on time for every shift.
7: Wrong: I have to finished the assignment. -
Right: I have to finish the assignment.
8: Wrong: I have to went yesterday. -
Right: I had to go yesterday.
9: Wrong: You have to learnt the lines. -
Right: You have to learn the lines.
10: Wrong: She has to saw the doctor. -
Right: She has to see the doctor.
11: Wrong: We have to spoken with HR last week. -
Right: We had to speak with HR last week.
12: Wrong: He has to paid the fee. -
Right: He has to pay the fee.

Work examples: professional phrasing you can paste

At work, keep obligations clear. Use 'have to' + base verb for present/future obligations and 'had to' for requirements that already happened.

Use 'had to' when reporting past requirements (e.g., Last week we had to revise the budget).
Prefer 'must' for formal policy statements; 'have to' is neutral and common for operational needs.

W1: Wrong (email): I have to sent the figures by noon. - Correct: I have to send the figures by noon.
W2: Wrong (status): I have to finished the audit today. - Correct: I have to finish the audit today.
W3: Wrong (reporting past): I have to work late last Friday. - Correct: I had to work late last Friday.
W4: Correct (policy): Contractors have to provide proof of insurance.
W5: Correct (chat): I have to join another call at 3 PM; can we continue afterwards?

School examples: homework, instructions, and reports

Students often mix tense when reporting assignments. Apply the same rule: have/has/had + base verb.

If the teacher assigned it earlier, use 'had to'.
For instructions and future tasks keep have/has + base verb.

S1: Wrong: I have to finished the lab before class. -
Correct: I have to finish the lab before class.
S2: Wrong: She has to wrote three pages for tomorrow. -
Correct: She has to write three pages for tomorrow.
S3: Wrong: I have to studied all weekend. -
Correct: I had to study all weekend.
S4: Correct: You have to submit your essay as a PDF.
S5: Correct (teacher note): Students have to complete the lab checklist before leaving.

Casual speech: texting and quick chat

Spoken shortcuts (gonna, gotta) are common in informal messages. In written or neutral tones keep have/has + base verb.

Gotta = spoken contraction (I gotta go). Avoid in formal writing.
Contractions: I've got to is informal but standard; I've to is rare.

C1: Wrong (text): I have to went to the store. - Better: I have to go to the store.
C2: Casual (spoken): I gotta leave now - equivalent written: I have to leave now.
C3: Correct (arranging): I have to pick up the kids after practice.
C4: Wrong (informal chat): She has to took the bus. - Correct: She has to take the bus.
C5: Contraction note: I've got to finish this - acceptable informally; replace with I have to for neutral tone.

Try your own sentence

Test the whole sentence, not just the phrase: context usually makes the right tense obvious.

Rewrite help: step-by-step checklist + many quick rewrites

Checklist: 1) Find have/has/had + verb. 2) If the following verb is past tense → change it to base form. 3) If the action is past, change have→had. 4) For negatives add don't/doesn't/didn't before have.

Look for time words (yesterday, last week) to decide if 'had to' is needed.
For questions use: Do/Does/Did + subject + have to + base verb? (Do you have to leave?)

R1: Original: I have to went home early yesterday. - Fix: I had to go home early yesterday.
R2: Original: She has to ran five miles every morning. - Fix: She has to run five miles every morning.
R3: Original: We have to finished the application now. - Fix: We have to finish the application now.
R4: Original: Do I have to paid the fee? - Fix: Do I have to pay the fee?
R5: Original: They have to been there last month. - Fix: They had to be there last month.
R6: Original: I don't have to went if I'm busy. - Fix: I don't have to go if I'm busy.
R7: Original: We've to signed the form. - Fix: We have to sign the form.
R8: Original: He has to bought lunch every day. - Fix: He has to buy lunch every day.

Real usage and tone: must vs have to, negatives and subtleties

'Have to' usually reports external obligations (rules, others' demands). 'Must' is stronger and often more formal or emphatic. Don't confuse 'don't have to' (not necessary) with 'mustn't' (forbidden).

There is no past form of must that equals had to; use had to for past obligations.

'I don't have to' = no obligation. 'You mustn't' = prohibition.
Use 'had to' for past obligations (not 'musted').
'Need to' is similar and also takes a base verb: need to + base verb.

T1: You don't have to come if you're sick (no obligation). - You mustn't enter the lab without safety gear (prohibition).
T2: Correct past: I had to cancel my travel plans last month.
T3: Tone: The manager must approve this purchase (formal/strong) - The manager has to approve this purchase (neutral).

Spacing and hyphenation: keep it simple

Write 'have to' as two words. Avoid 'haveto' or creating hyphenated forms in formal writing.

A hyphenated form like 'have-to' suggests an informal or playful tone; prefer clearer phrasing.

Correct: I have to go. Not: I haveto go.
Avoid hyphen: instead of 'a have-to meeting', write 'a meeting I have to attend' or 'a must-attend meeting'.

H1: Bad: The haveto list is long. - Correct: The 'have to' list is long. - Better: The must-do list is long.

Similar mistakes to watch for

When you fix 'have to' errors, also check for nearby errors so you don't swap one mistake for another.

Using -ing after 'have to' (wrong): 'have to going' → correct: 'have to go'.
Confusing 'have to' with 'need to' or 'must' (check tone and authority).
False contractions: 'I've to' is uncommon; use 'I have to' or 'I've got to'.

M1: Wrong: I have to going now. -
Correct: I have to go now.
M2: Wrong: I need to went there. -
Correct: I need to go there.
M3: Wrong: I've to finish this. - Better: I have to finish this / I've got to finish this (informal).

FAQ

Can I use the past tense after 'have to'?

No. After have/has use the base verb (go, do, write). If you mean a past obligation, change have→had and still use the base verb: 'I had to leave early.'

How do I make 'have to' negative?

Use do-support: I don't have to, she doesn't have to, we didn't have to. That means there is no obligation.

When should I use 'must' instead of 'have to'?

'Must' is stronger and often used for formal rules or the speaker's insistence. Use 'have to' for neutral, reported, or external obligations.

Are 'gonna' and 'gotta' acceptable?

They are fine in very informal speech or text. In formal writing, use 'going to', 'have to', or 'need to' and keep the base verb after them.

Any quick trick to spot this mistake?

Scan for have/has + a verb ending in -ed or an irregular past form. If you see one, change the following verb to its base form, or change have→had if the action is past.

Want a quick check?

If you're unsure, paste the sentence into a checker or run the checklist above: spot have/has/had → ensure the following verb is base form or change have→had for past.

Cheat line: 'have/has/had + to + base verb' - keep it near your notes until it feels automatic.