ter que + Infinitive
Having to: Ter Que
Ter que + infinitive means "have to": Teño que traballar (I have to work), Tes que descansar (you have to rest).
How It Works
Form: ter in any tense + que + infinitive.
- Present: teño, tes, ten, temos, tendes (or tedes), teñen + que + infinitive
Obligation or necessity for a specific person: Teño que traballar (I have to work). The form of ter shows who has to do it.
Any tense: Tivemos que esperar (we had to wait), Tiña que madrugar (I had to get up early, regularly), Terei que chamala (I'll have to call her).
Negation: Non tes que vir means "you don't have to come": there is no obligation. It does not mean "you must not come". For a prohibition, use non debes or non podes: Non podes fumar aquí.
A strong guess: ter que can also say you are sure of something from the evidence: Ten que estar na casa, porque a luz está acesa (She must be at home, because the light is on).
Related forms: hai que states a general obligation with no specific person, and ter de is a more literary variant with the same core meaning.
Examples (6)
- Teño que traballar o sábado.
I have to work on Saturday.
Word by Word: I-have that work the Saturday.
- Tes que descansar máis.
You have to rest more.
- Tivemos que esperar unha hora.
We had to wait an hour.
Tivemos is the preterite of ter.
- Non tes que vir se non queres.
You don't have to come if you don't want to.
Non ter que means there is no obligation.
- Mañá terei que madrugar.
Tomorrow I'll have to get up early.
- Ten que estar na casa, porque a luz está acesa.
She must be at home, because the light is on.
Here ter que expresses a confident conclusion, not an obligation.
Common Mistakes
Using the Spanish form tengo.
Tengo que traballar o sábado.Teño que traballar o sábado.The Galician present of ter is teño, tes, ten, temos, tendes, teñen.
Using non ter que to forbid something.
Non tes que fumar aquí.Non podes fumar aquí.To say "you mustn't smoke here", use non podes or non debes. Non tes que fumar means "you don't have to smoke", which is not the intended meaning.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Ter que introduces an obligation with an infinitive action.
Related Patterns
- hai que + InfinitiveOne Must: Hai Que
The impersonal version, for obligations with no specific person.
Level 2 - haber de + Infinitive
A forward-looking obligation or firm intention.
Level 2 - ter de + InfinitiveObligation with Ter De
A more literary variant of ter que.
Level 5 - deber (de) + InfinitiveObligation and Probability with Deber
Another way to express obligation, and also probability.
Level 3 - fai faltaNeeding Something: Fai Falta
Says that something is needed rather than that someone must do it.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice ter que + Infinitive in Bubblegum
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