past tense of mustn´t

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ESL forum > Ask for help > past tense of mustn´t

past tense of mustn´t

LenkaW

past tense of mustn´t

Dear colleagues,

could you help me with this language problem, please?

I have a sentece like this:

He mustn´t lie to his parents.

What is the past tense form of this sentence?

He wasn´t allowed to lie to his parents when he was a child.

or is it

He was obliged not to lie to his parents when he was a child.

What´s better? Or are there any other possibilities?

And do you, by any chance, have a nice worksheet to practice these structures?

Thanks a lot.

Lenka

8 Jun 2013

silvia.patti

He didn ´t have to lie to his parents

8 Jun 2013

mohamedthabet

He didn ´t have to...., means he wasn ´t obliged to ..... but he could. So I think it would be better to say: He had to tell the truth to his parents.

8 Jun 2013

sona21

He wasn´t allowed to lie to his parents...

That´s correct possibility.

8 Jun 2013

maryse peyé

What about :

He MUSTN ´T HAVE LIED to his parents as it is something of the past.

8 Jun 2013

EstherLee76

He wasn ´t allowed to lie is correct.

"didn ´t have to lie" means it wasn ´t necessary.

"had to tell the truth" changes the meaning a bit.

"mustn ´t have lied" means it wasn ´t possible to lie.

I would stick with "wasn ´t allowed to lie".

8 Jun 2013

mohamedthabet

mustn ´t have lied can ´t mean:

a) it wasn ´t possible for him to lie = couldn ´t lie
b) deduction (negative)= can ´t / couldn ´t have lied
c) reproach = shouldn ´t have lied
d) prohibition in the past = wasn ´t allowed to lie

As for HAD TO Tell the truth, I don´t think it changes the meaning. Here´s my reason:

He musn´t lie (present) = He must tell the truth (present) ; He had to tell the truth (past)

8 Jun 2013

Jayho

Must & must not do not have a past tense form. Usually you can use had to for the affirmative but not for the negative.

Must is becoming a bit old fashioned. People will often use allowed instead. It is possible to also use supposed to for the past even though it is not as strong.

In my opinion

He mustn´t lie to his parents = He is not allowed to lie to his parents = He is not supposed to lie to his parents

Therefore past tense is

He wasn´t allowed to lie to his parents or He was not supposed to lie to his parents

He had to tell the truth is ok too (he must/is supposed to tell the truth = He had to/was supposed to tell the truth, bearing in mind ´supposed to´ is not as strong and might imply that he didn´t tell the truth)

Cheers

Jayho

8 Jun 2013

LenkaW

Thank you very much for your help. Have a nice day. Lenka

10 Jun 2013