How to say “have to” in Chinese with 不得不 (bùdébù)
Subj. + 不得不 (bùdébù) + Verb Phrase
不得不 (bù dé bù) — have to, forced to
Subj. + 不得不 (bùdébù) + Verb Phrase
HSK 4Adverbs不得不 (bù dé bù) — have to, forced to
Rule structure
不得不 (bùdébù) expresses strong necessity with no alternative: "to have no choice but to, cannot but".
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.
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.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you say “have to, forced to” in Chinese with 不得不?
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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More HSK 4 grammar rules
原来 — it turns out, originally
Subj. + 原来 (yuánlái) + Predicate
千万 — don't, whatever you do
千万 (qiānwàn) + (别 (bié) / 不 (bù)) + Verb
正好 — just in time, coincidence
Subj. + 正好 (zhènghǎo) + Verb / Adj.
也 都 — also all
Subj. + 也 (yě) + 都 (dōu) + Verb
究竟 — in the end
究竟 (jiūjìng) + Question word / Question
恐怕 — I'm afraid that...
恐怕 (kǒngpà) + Clause
从来 — never in negative contexts
从来 (cónglái) + 都 (dōu)/也 (yě) + 不 (bù)/没 (méi) + Verb / Adj.
竟然 — unexpectedly
Subj. + 竟然 (jìngrán) + Verb / Adj.