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How to say “have to” in Chinese with 不得不 (bùdébù)

Subj. + 不得不 (bùdébù) + Verb Phrase

Expressing "have to" with "不得不 (bùdébù)"

HSK 4Adverbs

Rule structure

不得不 (bùdébù) expresses strong necessity with no alternative: "to have no choice but to, cannot but".

Examples

天气太差，我们不得不取消航班。

Tiānqì tài chà, wǒmen bùdébù qǔxiāo hángbān.

The weather is too bad, we had to cancel the flight.

Practice

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Frequently asked questions

How do you express “Expressing "have to" with "不得不 (bùdébù)"” in Chinese?

Use the structure: Subj. + 不得不 (bùdébù) + Verb Phrase. For example: 天气太差，我们不得不取消航班。 — “The weather is too bad, we had to cancel the flight.”.

What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?

天气太差，我们不得不取消航班。 — “The weather is too bad, we had to cancel the flight.”.

Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?

This grammar rule is part of HSK 4.

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