Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[puzzle]

Dear teachers,
Can you tell me the differences between"don't have to"& "don't need to" as in the following exercise:
I didn't _____ to go to the bank after all,Mary lent me the money.
A. need,B. have

Thank you very much!

[IanT]

Nice question!


1. I didn't have to go to the bank after all - Mary lent me the money.

and

2. I didn't need to go to the bank after all - Mary lent me the money.

should mean the same thing, i.e. it wasn't necessary to go to the bank and I didn't do it.

The different meaning would come from

3. I needn't have gone to the bank after all - Mary lent me the money.

This one means: I did go to the bank because I found out too late it wasn't necessary.

People sometimes assume that 2 means the same as 3, because they both have "need". But it doesn't.

In normal positive sentences, "I need to" comes from the person, and "I have to" comes from something outside.

Normally.

Hope helps,
Ian
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All my answers refer to British English.

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