English Course · Level 2 (A2) · Week 7 of 12

Rules at Work and School

Grammar: must / have to / don't have to / mustn't

This week's plan

Day	Learn	Listen / Watch	Practise
Day 1	Words: Rules · Sentences 1–2	engVid (Alex): “Speaking English – MUST, HAVE TO, HAVE GOT TO – Necessity” (video)	Exercise 1
Day 2	Words: At work · Sentences 3–4	BBC 6 Minute Grammar: “‘Have to’ and ‘must’” (podcast)	Exercise 2
Day 3	Words: At school and university · Sentences 5–6	British Council: “A morning briefing” (listening)	Exercise 3
Day 4	Words: Signs and notices · Sentences 7–8	engVid (James): “Need to, have to, must – modals of necessity” (video) + British Council: “Instructions for an assignment” (listening)	Exercise 4
Day 5	Words: Necessary or not? · Sentences 9–10	British Council: “Missing a class” (listening)	Write & Speak
Day 6	Review all 30 words + 10 sentences	BBC Learning English Grammar: “Things you have to do” (podcast)	Redo mistakes
Day 7	Free day ☺	Learn English with Bob the Canadian: “Free English Class! Topic: Back to School!” (podcast)	Tick your tracker

30 minutes a day: review, learn, listen, practise, speak. Day 7 is a free day. Tap a resource to find it.

30 words to learn

Set 1 · Rules

ruleقاعدة
allowedمسموح
not allowedممنوع / غير مسموح
uniformزيّ موحد
on timeفي الموعد
permissionإذن

Set 2 · At work

deadlineموعد نهائي
shiftوردية / شيفت
overtimeساعات عمل إضافية / أوفر تايم
signيوقّع
contractعقد
day offيوم إجازة

Set 3 · At school and university

attendيحضر
absentغائب
termفصل دراسي / تيرم
assignmentتكليف / بحث
hand inيسلّم
cheatيغشّ

Set 4 · Signs and notices

No smokingممنوع التدخين
Keep off the grassممنوع السير على العشب
Silence, pleaseالرجاء الهدوء
Staff onlyللعاملين فقط
Exitمخرج
Fasten your seatbeltاربط حزام الأمان

Set 5 · Necessary or not?

mustيجب أن
have toيجب / لازم (قاعدة أو ظرف)
don't have toليس من الضروري / مش لازم
mustn'tممنوع أن / لا يجوز
need toيحتاج إلى أن / لازم
it's important toمن المهم أن

10 sentences to memorise

1You must wear a uniform at work.يجب أن ترتدي زيًّا موحدًا في العمل.
2We have to finish the report before the deadline.يجب أن ننهي التقرير قبل الموعد النهائي.
3You mustn't smoke in the building.ممنوع أن تدخّن داخل المبنى.
4I don't have to work on Fridays. It's my day off.لست مضطرًا إلى العمل أيام الجمعة. إنه يوم إجازتي.
5Do I have to sign the contract today?هل يجب أن أوقّع العقد اليوم؟
6Students must attend eighty per cent of the classes.يجب على الطلاب حضور ثمانين في المئة من المحاضرات.
7You have to hand in your assignment by Thursday.يجب أن تسلّم البحث في موعد أقصاه يوم الخميس.
8Are we allowed to use our phones in the exam?هل يُسمح لنا باستخدام هواتفنا في الامتحان؟
9Mona had to work overtime yesterday.اضطرت منى إلى العمل ساعات إضافية أمس.
10You don't have to come early, but you mustn't be late.ليس من الضروري أن تأتي مبكرًا، لكن يجب ألّا تتأخر.

Grammar: must / have to / don't have to / mustn't

must / have to + verb = it is necessary (You must / have to wear a seatbelt.)

mustn't = it is not allowed (You mustn't smoke here.)

don't have to = it is not necessary; you can choose (You don't have to wear a suit.)

Past: had to (I had to work late.) — must has no past form.

أكبر خطأ: الظن أن mustn't و don't have to بمعنى واحد! mustn't = ممنوع (لا تفعل)، أما don't have to = مش لازم (براحتك). ومن الأخطاء أيضًا: must to go ✗ (بعد must فعل مجرد بدون to)، و He have to ✗ (الصحيح He has to). و must غالبًا قاعدة رسمية أو رأي المتكلم نفسه، و have to التزام من الخارج (قانون، مدير، ظروف).

	Positive	Negative	Question	Past
must	You must stop.	You mustn't park here. (= not allowed)	Must I …? (formal)	had to
have to	I have to go. / She has to go.	You don't have to pay. (= not necessary)	Do I have to …? / Does she have to …?	had to / didn't have to

must + verb without to: You must call (NOT must to call). have to always has to.

For the past, use had to / didn't have to: I didn't have to wear a uniform at my old school.

Exercises

Exercise 1 · Complete with mustn't or don't have to.

1) You ___ use your phone while you're driving.
2) It's a free museum. You ___ pay.
3) Tomorrow is a holiday, so we ___ get up early.
4) You ___ touch that machine. It's dangerous.
5) Students ___ cheat in exams.
6) You ___ bring food. There's a restaurant there.

Show the answers

1) mustn't 2) don't have to 3) don't have to 4) mustn't 5) mustn't 6) don't have to

Exercise 2 · Complete with the correct form of have to.

1) My father ___ work on Saturdays. (positive)
2) ___ you ___ wear a uniform at your school?
3) It was a holiday yesterday, so we ___ go to work. (negative)
4) Last night I ___ stay at the office until ten. (positive)
5) Nour ___ hand in her assignment today. (negative)
6) ___ Omar ___ work overtime last week?

Show the answers

1) has to 2) Do … have to 3) didn't have to 4) had to 5) doesn't have to 6) Did … have to

Exercise 3 · Correct the mistake.

1) You must to wear a seatbelt.
2) She have to sign the contract.
3) I musted work late yesterday.
4) Do I must pay now?
5) You don't have to smoke in the hospital. It's not allowed.

Show the answers

1) You must wear a seatbelt. 2) She has to sign the contract. 3) I had to work late yesterday. 4) Do I have to pay now? (or: Must I pay now?) 5) You mustn't smoke in the hospital. It's not allowed.

Exercise 4 · Translate into English.

1) يجب أن أكون في العمل الساعة الثامنة.
2) ممنوع أن تستخدم الهاتف هنا.
3) ليس من الضروري أن ترتدي بدلة.
4) اضطررت إلى العمل يوم الجمعة الماضي.

Show the answers

1) I have to (must) be at work at eight (o'clock). 2) You mustn't (can't) use your phone here. / You aren't allowed to use your phone here. 3) You don't have to wear a suit. 4) I had to work last Friday.

Do each exercise in pencil first, then open the answers to check.

Write & Speak

Write & Speak — “The rules where I work or study”: write 80–100 words about the rules at your workplace or school. Say what you have to do, what you mustn't do and what you don't have to do. Then explain the rules to a new colleague or student (speak for one minute).

Example: I work in a pharmacy in Heliopolis, and we have a lot of rules. First, we must wear a white coat and a name badge. We have to be on time, because the morning shift starts at nine. We mustn't eat or drink behind the counter, and we mustn't sell some medicines without a prescription. We don't have to work every Friday, because we take turns. Last month I had to work overtime, because a colleague was ill. The rules are strict, but they are important for our customers.