Obligación Personal
tener que
+ infinitivo
+ infinitivo
I / you / he… have to / must / need to
personal obligation — subject agrees with tener
🇪🇸 A2 Level
Obligación Impersonal
hay que
+ infinitivo
+ infinitivo
one must / you have to / it is necessary to
impersonal — no subject, always hay (never changes)
5 Interactive Exercises
Both structures express obligation or necessity, but they work differently. Tener que + infinitivo is personal — the verb tener changes with the subject, so we know exactly who has to do something. Hay que + infinitivo is impersonal — it comes from haber and never changes, so we don’t specify who — it’s a general rule or necessity. Key rule: after both structures, the second verb is always in the infinitive!
tener que + infinitivo
Personal obligation — I / you / he must
✅ Use when you know who has to do something.
✅ The verb tener conjugates to agree with the subject (yo tengo, tú tienes, él tiene…)
✅ The second verb is always infinitive (never changes).
✅ Can be negated: no tengo que = “I don’t have to” (not obligated).
✅ The verb tener conjugates to agree with the subject (yo tengo, tú tienes, él tiene…)
✅ The second verb is always infinitive (never changes).
✅ Can be negated: no tengo que = “I don’t have to” (not obligated).
hay que + infinitivo
Impersonal obligation — one must / it is necessary
✅ Use for general rules, signs, advice — no specific person.
✅ HAY never changes — always the same form (from haber).
✅ The second verb is always infinitive.
✅ Negated: no hay que = “it’s not necessary to” / “you don’t need to”.
✅ HAY never changes — always the same form (from haber).
✅ The second verb is always infinitive.
✅ Negated: no hay que = “it’s not necessary to” / “you don’t need to”.
🔢 The Formulas
TENER QUE — personal
subject
+
tener
+
que
+
infinitive
Yo tengo que estudiar. → I have to study.
Ella tiene que trabajar. → She has to work.
No tienes que venir. → You don’t have to come.
HAY QUE — impersonal
hay
+
que
+
infinitive
Hay que estudiar mucho. → One must study a lot.
Hay que comer verduras. → You need to eat vegetables.
No hay que gritar. → There’s no need to shout.
⚡ The golden rule: The verb after que is ALWAYS an infinitive — never conjugated!
✔ Tengo que comer. ✗ Tengo quecomo. · ✔ Hay que trabajar. ✗ Hay que trabajo.
✔ Tengo que comer. ✗ Tengo que
📋 TENER QUE — All Persons
Conjugation
Tener — present tense conjugation (irregular!)
| Person | Conjugation | + que + infinitive |
|---|---|---|
| yo | tengo que | Tengo que estudiar. — I have to study. |
| tú | tienes que | Tienes que descansar. — You have to rest. |
| él / ella / Ud. | tiene que | Tiene que trabajar. — He/She has to work. |
| nosotros/as | tenemos que | Tenemos que salir. — We have to leave. |
| vosotros/as | tenéis que | Tenéis que escuchar. — You all have to listen. |
| ellos / ellas / Uds. | tienen que | Tienen que llegar a tiempo. — They have to arrive on time. |
💡 Tener is irregular in the yo form: tengo (not *teno). The rest follows a boot-verb pattern: e → ie in stressed syllables.
❌ Negative: no + tener que = “don’t have to” (NOT prohibited — just not obligatory)
No tengo que ir. → I don’t have to go.
(I can go if I want, but I’m not obliged)
No tienes que traer nada. → You don’t have to bring anything.
(It’s not necessary, not forbidden)
🌍 HAY QUE — Impersonal Contexts
Uses
📋 Rules & signs
Hay que llevar mascarilla.
You must wear a mask.
No hay que fumar aquí.
No smoking here. (not necessary = prohibited)
Hay que guardar silencio.
Silence must be kept.
💡 General advice
Hay que dormir ocho horas.
One must sleep eight hours.
Hay que comer más fruta.
One should eat more fruit.
Hay que ser amable con todos.
One must be kind to everyone.
📝 Instructions
Para aprobar, hay que estudiar.
To pass, you need to study.
Primero, hay que hervir el agua.
First, you need to boil the water.
Hay que rellenar el formulario.
The form must be filled in.
👤 TENER QUE — Personal Contexts
Uses
🏠 Daily obligations
Mañana tengo que madrugar.
Tomorrow I have to get up early.
Tenemos que limpiar la casa.
We have to clean the house.
¿A qué hora tienes que estar?
What time do you have to be there?
🏫 School & work
Los estudiantes tienen que entregar el trabajo.
Students have to hand in the work.
Tengo que terminar este informe.
I have to finish this report.
El médico tiene que ver al paciente.
The doctor has to see the patient.
📅 Plans & commitments
Esta tarde tengo que ir al dentista.
This afternoon I have to go to the dentist.
¿Tienes que trabajar el sábado?
Do you have to work on Saturday?
Tienen que llegar antes de las diez.
They have to arrive before ten.
🔀 Side by Side — Tener que vs Hay que
Same meaning, different perspective — personal vs general.
Tengo que estudiar más.
I have to study more. (personal — my obligation)
Hay que estudiar mucho para aprobar.
One must study a lot to pass. (general truth)
Ana tiene que llegar a las nueve.
Ana has to arrive at nine. (specific person)
Hay que llegar a las nueve.
You have to arrive at nine. (general rule, everyone)
No tienes que traer dinero.
You don’t have to bring money. (not obligated)
No hay que reservar mesa.
There’s no need to book a table. (general rule)
Los niños tienen que acostarse a las nueve.
The children have to go to bed at nine. (these children)
Hay que respetar las normas del colegio.
School rules must be respected. (everyone)
💡 When to choose which? If you can say “it is necessary in general” → HAY QUE. If you can point to a specific person → TENER QUE.
📊 Degrees of Obligation in Spanish
suggestion
deberías
you should
you should
recommended
es mejor
it’s better to
it’s better to
impersonal need
hay que
one must
one must
personal obligation
tener que
I/you have to
I/you have to
strong obligation
deber
must / ought to
must / ought to
Hay que comer sano. → General health advice
El médico tiene que llegar. → Specific obligation
✨ Common Infinitives Used with Both Structures
estudiar
to study
trabajar
to work
comer
to eat
dormir
to sleep
llegar
to arrive
salir
to leave
hablar
to speak
limpiar
to clean
comprar
to buy
pagar
to pay
hacer
to do/make
respetar
to respect
⚡ Quick Reference
TENER QUE + infinitivo
personal — who must
tener conjugates (tengo/tienes/tiene…)
second verb = always infinitive
no tengo que = don’t have to
tener is irregular (tengo, not teno!)
HAY QUE + infinitivo
impersonal — no subject
hay NEVER changes form
second verb = always infinitive
no hay que = it’s not necessary
general rules, signs, advice
✏️ ¡Practica!
1
Choose the correct structure from the dropdown.Think: personal (tener que) or general/impersonal (hay que)?
a)
Para estar sano,
hacer ejercicio. (general health advice)
b)
Mañana yo
ir al médico. (I specifically have an appointment)
c)
En este museo
guardar silencio. (museum rule — for everyone)
d)
Los estudiantes
entregar el trabajo el viernes. (specific students)
e)
¿
trabajar este sábado? (asking you specifically)
f)
Para sacar una buena nota,
estudiar mucho. (general truth)
2
Fill in the correct form of TENER QUE + infinitive.The subject and infinitive are given. Write the full tener que + infinitivo phrase.
a) Yo más para el examen.
b) Tú a tu madre.
c) Ella mañana.
d) Nosotros ahora.
e) Ellos no — la entrada es gratis.
f) ¿Vosotros al colegio el sábado?
3
Multiple choice.👉 “Students must bring ID to the exam.” — This is a rule for everyone. You say:
👉 “I have to cook dinner tonight.” — Personal obligation. Which is correct?
👉 “No _____ gritar en la biblioteca.” (You don’t need to shout — general rule)
👉 Which sentence is grammatically WRONG?
👉 “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.” — I’m saying it’s not obligatory for you. You say:
4
Tap to build the sentence.Build: “Para estar sano, hay que hacer ejercicio.”
ejercicio.
hay
Para
hacer
estar
sano,
que
Tap words above · click here to remove last
5
Translate into Spanish using tener que or hay que.a) “I have to call my mum tonight.” (personal — yo)
b) “One must respect the rules.” (general — impersonal)
c) “We have to study for the exam.” (personal — nosotros)
d) “You don’t have to bring anything.” (personal — no obligation for you)