Stop Using 'Should' Like This!

Are you guilty of this error?
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[@smashingenglish]

Hi, just a quick note. I can see many comments about this one and would like to clarify a few things. The use of modal verbs is very nuanced. In this video, we are not aiming to teach every single one and all of its uses. We are simply pointing out ONE mistake we hear a lot in our lessons with non-native students. Therefore, as we are only pointing out one specific mistake, we have neglected to cover every aspect of every modal verb, that will be a whole other video! We are aiming to address the specific times when 'should' is being used where 'have to' would be more appropriate. Many people have commented about the use of the word 'must', which is also an option but not the focus of this particular video. In the examples given, using 'must' would make the sentence a lot more formal. For instance, if I said to my friend, 'you must pay to park here', suddenly I sound like a politician, a mayor, or some other authority figure! We have many videos on our channel and aim to make many more, we often choose to focus on one specific example in detail, rather than covering everything on a surface level. Thanks for reading and I hope this clarifies some things! English is ever-changing and evolving and all we want to do here at Smashing English is to give you a reflection of how many young and native speakers use it. All the best, Laura and Bez

[@TheCamillo4ka]

Oh, thanks a lot for your clarification. That’s exactly what I was missing)) IMHO, if you had said it in the video, there would’ve been much less confusion. ‘Cos well, it’s not that I didn’t know that, but I just felt uncomfortable with it, like what if I don’t know smth else important. Thanks 😊

[@terriroberts8594]

I’m a native English speaker, but love watching your videos because you teach me more about my language. I also have started repeating accents I hear on TV! Such fun to break down the vowel and consonant sounds!

[@yasserwaleedyasserwaleed5578]

Could you be my friend and speak with me in your free time

[@lucindawinehouse2002]

I do a lot of Accent training in My VoiceOver work

[@zarareducationacademy1108]

Hi

[@luthientinuviel1981]

Hello Laura, In your first brain surgeon example, I would even use the word "must". It is absolutely necessary for the surgeon to master his field. Anything else would be a catastrophe.🥰

[@u2danny81]

I teach my students to use "have to" on every day spoken English. Natives don't usually speak the word "must." It is used mostly in highly formal situations like government, rules/laws etc...

[@luthientinuviel1981]

@@u2danny81 Thanks for your reply Laura.😀

[@u2danny81]

@@luthientinuviel1981 lol i got ya! I don't see many responses to comments, but any English teacher can answer.

[@rbrowne2998]

How about diversity hires?

[@backfromcuba]

@@u2danny81 Similar in Spanish, they have deber but generally use tener que.

[@chriswixtrom6514]

This is an excellent presentation, giving context to these two phrases "should" vs "have to" and helping people understand these thoroughly.

[@SchemeTintFocus]

I _ tell you, nice comment!

[@harishkashyap]

This is exactly the kind of content I love to watch. You guys are great. Love from India! 👏🏻💚

[@vanessachagas_]

Thank you so much! How clear and amazing is your explanation!

[@yvesgysel9834]

Very well explained. You are totally right. We use "should" all the time, while we need to use "Have to" in many occasions in stead.

[@ishfakaxihaan]

Take love and Respect from 🇧🇩 Easily Explained Everything

[@user-ps6bs7dv4x]

Thank for refreshing my grammar! It is very timely!🌸

[@cooleekova]

I had been making this mistake all the time! Thank you for the brilliant explanation!

[@Happy_Seppo]

Thank you so much for your easy and clear explanations🥰🙏✨

[@mbongeninzimande2111]

Thank you so much indeed Laura, this is very helpful. 🙏🙏

[@ursula7498]

Excellent video! We have got two very similar modal verbs in German and we love to use the "should" in contexts where there is no choice in order to make an understatement or in an ironical way.

[@musikus7092]

you should = du solltest you have to = du musst

[@dancu9271]

A lot of thanks for making and sharing your video!!

[@ichhier5165]

So far so good. But what about "must" vs "have to"?

[@alvirosy]

Thank you for the lesson, Milady.

[@mariacristinaverza9621]

You both are absolutely amazing!❤

[@KarlAnthonySteel]

Oh my.. Why so charismatic and artistic?

[@jayantmoktan3556]

That was a nice explanation on the usage of should and have to, really loved it. But rather than only explaining on the topics like accent and grammar, could you give us some insight about English Literature as well. Would be highly appreciated. Love ❤️

[@romankratenko8404]

Great job! Greetings from Ireland!!!

[@AV-TV]

Thanks for this nice lesson!

[@imnmnm87]

I’m an iraqi fresh student in translation section ( college of Arts)and i do enjoy ur videos and i have watched the peaky blinders and I’ve learned some of their accent

[@user-sv6uk6sy6d]

Thank you for explaining the nuance

[@smashingenglish]

My pleasure!☺️

[@sevmuzigi5925]

you are wonderful I have greatly benefited new following

[@user-ew5hv1rm6o]

Thank you, my friends! Regards from Kazakhstan

[@kps204020]

Great lesson. I have to get more of it, no choice😄

[@pro369]

I have to say, you just nailed it. Great

[@user-zx2kg5uw4s]

I've been always confused which word to use: have to or should., and now it's so clear! Thank you soooo much!!

[@smashingenglish]

Happy to help!☺️☺️☺️🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@contagiousintelligence5007]

Very good video thanks. I knew this, still it was a good explanation

[@ilariaciso4362]

Hi guys, thanks for this super helpful video. I really appreciate it. 😃😃

[@chicolofi]

Great lesson, thanks!

[@smashingenglish]

Glad you liked it!

[@rojoeditor]

Yes, I have been in more than one restaurant where clothing was optional.

[@AliIftikhar486]

Yups I have been to several restaurants a lot of times❤

[@lpasgsni522]

Lora, you are amazing! Thanks a lot!

[@vinethsejan6766]

Now i know how to use should and Have to . Thank you teacher for Good Explaining .

[@smashingenglish]

You are welcome! THATS GREAT ☺️🇬🇧

[@unciaciapanca]

What about must? We normally study on books that when something is mandatory (no choice) we use must

[@loupgarou95]

Must and have to can be used interchangeably, but must has an even stronger connotation. It is more emphatic. In some dialects, like American English, must is not often used because it is very emphatic. In America English, using must can sound outdated or old fashioned. In cases where have to is not emphatic enough, Americans would almost always say need to instead of must.

[@benedictefeery7613]

This video is brilliant ! You are such a funny couple !

[@burakavci94]

Your lessons ara very funny and I enjoyed ☺️

[@skillsthrillschills803]

Thanks heaps

[@911-GT3]

very useful lesson

[@ildarmingazov2304]

How's going! Thanks for teaching.

[@eightballsidepocket9467]

I sometimes swap “have to” with “should” if it is obvious that you have to, but it’s ironic not to. “Jumping out of a plane, you should have access to a parachute”

[@tristantzara3995]

WELL DONE😀

[@lakshmanankomathmanalath]

Thank you😍

[@smashingenglish]

You're welcome 😊

[@pakistanarmypakistanarmy6147]

Love from pakistan you are such amazing teacher💜

[@user-fz3tx4ge1u]

Brilliant!

[@volodymyr.brodskyi]

Thank you for your video, god bless KZbin recommendation. And get new subscriber!

[@smashingenglish]

Welcome ☺️🇬🇧

[@chegeny]

Excellent video. Well done. Options: Should I stay or should I go? No options: You have to stay to see the end of the video. My opinion: You should stay and watch the video.

[@ronnymtz1326]

Hello, I'm new here. I'd like to ask for a special video, I've heard a lot of native speaker speaking or making a sound with their throat, for example here in this video in the minute 1:43 in the last "To do" that sound is present, (and you do it particularly lovely ) so, I'd love you to make a video explaining how to do it, if there's any rules and when to use it.

[@danielmnet]

The joy of finding out that the concepts map perfectly to your native language so I don't have to study it 😎

[@bartconnolly6104]

1 At a restaurant , or anywhere else, A list celebrities should pay legally have to pay but frequently don’t pay anyway.

[@abirhasanabir6137]

You should be in Hollywood

[@66oggy]

I am Derbyshire born and bred and would love your take on the phrase " Ay up ", normally a greeting, but it can be used to mean virtually anything, a curse, a shock, in sadness, in laughter, and so on, a very versatile phrase is ay up... And one for any translators out there... Ay up yowth, get thee sen darn eer an thas can av a chew on this reet good snap, thens't can av a kip on't dog shelf me owd, if thas tayterd.

[@cantkeepitin]

Do you also have examples when to say should not or have not to....?

[@tomcasey5972]

I remember a great old American movie where two women are arguing and one says, in a calm voice, “Supposing you go now.” As if it were a suggestion. What she meant was “Go now or there will be hell to pay.” I was very clear that it was the strongest possible command.

[@qzrnuiqntp]

Have to is very close to must, when should is a modal verb made after the so-called "past" of shall wich is in fact its subjunctive form.

[@SchemeTintFocus]

Must, ought to

[@radeksikldrumming3970]

I came across your vids and I say THANK YOU for making of these.. ( I guess you must have already noticed that I am not a native English speaker ) But isn't it meant to be rather humorous and maybe also a bit sarcastic when one says " you SHOULD.." or better yet "I THINK.. YOU SHOULD study enough ( if not hard ) to become a commercial aircrafts pilot."? Because what future commercial aircrafts pilot believes that they SHOULD instead of HAVE TO? Just like saying " I think you should stop the car, I need a toilet.. " I don't really THINK for I KNOW..And I KNOW WELL, right? 😁.. that not only they SHOULD but unless they want that mess in their car, they just HAVE TO. It's just me liking humor, making it sound as if it was an option.. But yeah.. I really don't know any other ways your students are using it. It's jut my 5 cents. Still BIG THANK YOU for vids like yours for peeps like me.

[@psychandtheology]

You can use "should" instead of "have to" when you intend it as a snarky understatement. Especially with the adverb, "probably." Ex: "You should probably pay for your groceries before you leave the store!" = snarky understatement.

[@pierrebremond5732]

I'm a French speaker... What about the difference between "should" and 'must"? I've noticed that in English and American papers (including in very formal reports), people tend to use "should" where 'must' or 'have to' would be more adequate. I suppose there is some kind of shift in the meaning of "should"...

[@pro369]

Should is used for advice, moral obligation. But must is used for strong obligation and sometimes for a deduction

[@Maya_Ruinz]

There is definitely truth here, different cultures will see these differently as either commands or as suggestions. 'Should' has been used as a way to suggest an action be taken, but in todays English language culture I think it has lost that meaning altogether and means more like a soft command. It can be used 'passive aggressively' as a way to manipulate another person, its a way to command without actually using commanding words if that makes sense. Saying 'you must do it', 'you should do it', 'do it right now' and even 'there will be problems if you don't do this" all have come to mean essentially the same thing. There has been a strong move away from strong language precisely to avoid aggression, confrontation or to avoid sounding commanding.

[@briankirchhoefer]

Sounds like a British thing. Not being direct or confrontational. My parents would say,,,, Brush your teeth, clean your room, do your homework. No options implied.

[@FrankMDuran-hv6kf]

Great quiz!!!! I got 10 of 10 correct!…. And I keep learning; thank you guys so much!!!

[@tancredidaltavilla2141]

when I was a student my teacher said hat should is "condtional" as in italian, conditional means that there is at least one different possibility. I think that students that uses should in a wrong way, simply nevers studied sintax anr grammar.

[@andressorin1205]

What about “have to” and “must”? What’s the difference?

[@stankormy5717]

If I should, I surely would!

[@originalchilehed]

Yank here. My understanding is that "should" implies a moral obligation, and that "ought" indicates expediency. I really enjoy your content; it makes me want to pick a regional UK accent and learn to mimic it well.

[@u2danny81]

Should/ ought to are advice. (Ought to isn't as commonly used) Have to / must are obligations

[@lawlaw8530]

Is the cockney accent in "green street hooligans" perfectly executed?

[@vekholunienu]

Please make a video on Gemma Cham accent

[@gabrielmoreno9455]

Should = sua vovó com o dedo em riste, dizendo pra você comer os vegetais. Tipo, você pode, mas talvez você não faça. Usem o "have to" para obrigações. "Should" = conselhos, "seria bom", "seria conveniente", etc.

[@chicolofi]

Se a pessoa não entendeu as claríssimas explicações em inglês, faz sentido repetir o mesmo conteúdo em português?

[@BobSchoepenjr]

@@chicolofi haha keep m comin’ 🤣

[@tracyvis5668]

Have to versus must, is there ever a time when they aren’t the same? Meaning you would use one over the other.

[@u2danny81]

I'd say the majority of natives don't use "must" in every day American English. It's saved for highly formal situations like law/rules, government etc... Have to is best for every day English

[@rubeniorio9456]

..in Italy we say you should pay to park here...🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@smashingenglish]

😂 I’ll remember that the next time I go!!

[@rubeniorio9456]

@@smashingenglish 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@user-zn7cl8om2s]

😀 haVe just subscribed😀

[@smashingenglish]

Wahoo! ☺️🇬🇧

[@fahads6673]

Lovely

[@MoanAlotsa_24-7]

So Peter, if you could go ahead and get that surgical training, that would be greeaat

[@randolph795]

Should is a notch up from preferable but not must.

[@bettinaachilles9475]

In Germany we sometimes use it the ironical way- when you want to drive a car, you should get a driver licence - oh do I really? ;-)

[@ilghiz]

I sometimes see _should_ in official documents where the actual meaning is _shall._ Weird.

[@linmuxi]

Before you correct your students about "should", you need to correct your pronunciation for the word "subscribe".

[@smashingenglish]

Is there a silent ‘f’ sound we’re missing or…?

[@speedracer2841]

Is the sentence "The train should arrive in ten minutes" correct?

[@Achilles_Payne]

omg, it's the besst YT's recommendation recently

[@smashingenglish]

YAY!! Great to hear!☺️🇬🇧✨

[@prasadakavoor]

How about "must"?

[@Phlypour]

Well, In my native language, when the parents say "you can wash the dishes", they mean "you have to". Isn't "should" also like this in certain situations? Like, officially not allowed but actually frequently used in practice?

[@loupgarou95]

Yes, in certain situations "should" is used when people really mean have to. For example, telling a guest at your home who is being rude or unruly "You should leave," is understood to mean, "You need to/have to/must leave." Should is used in these situations mostly to be polite. Everyone understands that although the request could be denied, the consequences would not be desirable.

[@jacksonamaral329]

Good.

[@user-ef2jp8hx7g]

Good mroning

[@nunyabitnezz2802]

Have to -or-Must

[@colinafobe2152]

can we say you must instead of you have to? what is the difference?

[@CaptainSiCo]

I was thinking that. In most cases you could say “must” instead of “have to”, but “have to “ sounds more typically British. Just my uneducated opinion! BTW I have South African friends who use “must” when British English speakers would say “should”. It comes across as a very strong command when it may have been intended as advice.

[@colinafobe2152]

@@CaptainSiCo yes "have to" really does sound UK to my ears too

[@u2danny81]

English teacher here! We use "have to" in every day American English. Most people don't use "must," only in highly formal situations like rules/laws and government. You can absolutely use "must" in speaking, but it sounds odd.

[@AY-fh8po]

great

[@davidhoward4715]

What about "I should not have to do this"?

[@66oggy]

Loving this, but pulling you up on something.... Firstly you say... The student said I have a new job in England, in which case, should is fine, as they already have the job. Secondly you say... If I get this job, in which case, have to is correct. Only teasing.

[@smashingenglish]

Even if the student already had the job, they still 'have to' speak English. If they turn up on their first day speaking Swedish and refuse to change, they will lose the job. So it is essential.

[@MrMurzich]

I don’t want you to be my brain surgeon. I don’t want to show it to nobody 1:30 1:46

[@professorbrix]

Ok, so you’re suggesting I shouldn‘t use should any more. No, wait, I mustn’t. I have to use have to… 🤪 I guess i have to should up now. My brain surgery is due. 😏 Love your Videos.

[@sebastienlopezmassoni8107]

Woohoo all my responses are good. Thanks for the hat police that check everybody XD

[@StevenPeterson-tg4lw]

Wouldn't MUST be better than HAVE TO?

[@Abdi_sulaiman]

All the question from you i did correctly. I should watching your channel more early. I have to watching this lesson everyday to reach my goals fluent in english only 6 month.

[@consty715]

I’ll stick to “got to”😂

[@bartconnolly6104]

I note a lot of US police use phrases such as 'you NEED to leave', implying you MUST leave when in fact they have no authority to order you to leave.

[@jielghifari4440]

"Harus" itu ada beberapa jenis nya in English

[@eileenmcgroarty2463]

What about MUST ?

[@smashingenglish]

Please see our pinned comment and our recent short.

[@mrrafalb1776]

Shood is common mauden vebb. 🇬🇧😄

[@kofgrep]

My question: Can I replace 'have to' with 'need to' at times?

[@alastairmonk6439]

Simple answer - yes! "Need to" is slightly less emphatic and indicates that it would be a really good idea and in your best interests to do this but still allows a choice not to. You need to leave now to catch your plane. You can choose not to and miss the plane but no-one would agree that this is the correct choice! As explained in the video, "have to" indicates something required and without the option not to do it. Perhaps the most common use of "need to" is in situations when you are talking to someone and have to politely inform them of a choice or action that you have an urgent reason to take that requires you to leave or stop talking to them!