[영어Q&A] need to vs have to

have to와 need to는 아주 미묘한 뉘앙스의 차이가 있다.

have to는 어떤 일을 할 때 다른 선택이 없는 의무에 대해 이야기할 때 주로 쓰인다.

반면, need to는 어떤 목표를 달성하기 위해 필요한 것들에 대해 이야기 할 때 주로 쓰인다.

예시 문장)

I have to be at work by 9:00 a.m. every morning.

나 매일 아침 9시까지 출근해야해. (의무)

I have to help my friend move tomorrow, so I can’t have lunch with you.

나 내일 친구 이사를 도와야해서 너랑 점심 못먹어. (약속을 이미 했으니 일종의 의무인 셈)

You have to turn off the lights if you’re the last person to leave the office.

너가 사무실 마지막으로 떠나면 불 꺼야해. (의무)

I want to go to Vietnam for my vacation, so I need to get a visa.

나 휴가 때 베트남 가고 싶어서 비자 받아야해. (베트남 여행이라는 목표를 위해 필요한 일)

If you want to get a promotion, you need to work very hard.

너 승진하고 싶으면 일 엄청 열심히 해야해. (승진이라는 목표를 위해 필요한 일)

If your daughter wants to be a model, she needs to lose some weight.

너 딸이 모델하고 싶다면, 걔 살 좀 빼야해. (모델이라는 목표를 위해 필요한 일)

가끔 have to와 need가 문장 안에서 자유롭게 교환되고 아주 유사한 의미를 갖는다.

예시 문장)

I have to go to the bathroom. / I need to go to the bathroom. 

이 둘은 거의 의미차이가 없는 것 같다.

I have to finish this job by Friday. / I need to finish this job by Friday.

이 둘 역시 거의 의미차이가 없지만 전자는 상사의 명령으로 금요일까지는 반드시 일을 끝내야하는 의무인거고 후자는 주말이 출근하기 싫으니까 금요일까지 일 끝내야한다는 뉘앙스로 쓰일 수 있겠다. 굳이 따지자면 그렇고 두 경우 모두 have to, need to를 사용해도 무방하다고 생각한다.

I write down things I have to do on sticky notes. / I write down things I need to do on sticky notes.

전자는 회사 업무처리, 학교에 가는 일, 학교 과제 등등 선택사항이 없는 꼭 해야할 의무사항들을 적은 것이고 후자는 자기계발을 목표로 책 읽기, 운동하기와 같은 것들은 적은 것이라고 할 수 있겠다. 말하자면 그런 것이고 실제 상황에서는 거의 차이가 없다.

$제가 참고한 영어 포스팅입니다.

The entry for today is a very subtle one: it’s the difference between “have to” and “need to”. There is a slight difference in nuance between them. We say “have to” when we want to talk about obligations – things we have no choice about doing. However, we say “need to” when we want to talk about things that are necessary to do in order to achieve a certain goal. For example:

I have to be at work by 9:00 a.m. every morning.

I have to help my friend move tomorrow, so I can’t have lunch with you.

You have to turn off the lights if you’re the last person to leave the office.

I want to go to Vietnam for my vacation, so I need to get a visa.

If you want to get a promotion, you need to work very hard.

If your daughter wants to be a model, she needs to lose some weight.

In the case of the second example, the person uses “have to”, even though they have a choice about helping the friend move. In these cases, when we agree to do something, we feel an obligation to do it, and so we use “have to” in these cases.

In the last three examples for “need to”, the person does the thing (get a visa, work very hard, lose some weight) in order to achieve the goal (go to Vietnam, get a promotion, be a model).

Sometimes, “have to” and “need to” can be exchanged freely in a sentence and will have a very similar meaning. For example:

I have to go to the bathroom.

I need to go to the bathroom.

I have to finish this job by Friday.

I need to finish this job by Friday.

I write down things I have to do on sticky notes.

I write down things I need to do on sticky notes.

In these cases, the meaning is very close but has a slightly different nuance. Again, when we use “have to”, we’re emphasizing the fact we have no choice; when we use “need to”, we’re emphasizing the fact that it’s necessary.

Chie Said:

on May 2, 2011 at 1:52 pm

There is also a difference between “have to” and “must”, right?
The Japanese translation for both words looks the same meaning, but I guess the situation of the usage is different. Am I right? I’m sometimes not sure which one should be used.

Reply

• 

  englishhelponline Said:

  on May 2, 2011 at 3:08 pm

  Hi Chie.

  In English, the word “must” is more formal than “have to”. Also, it’s important to note that there is no past tense form of “must”, so if you want to talk about obligations in the past, you should use “had to”.

  I hope that answers your question.

  Mike

출처 : https://englishhelponline.me/2011/03/28/the-difference-between-words-have-to-and-need-to/