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Expressing 'have to' with 不得不 (bùdébù)
Obligation & Necessity
Structure
Subject + 不得不 + Verb
Explanation
The construction 不得不 (bùdébù) means "have to" or "cannot but" and expresses that someone is compelled to do something due to circumstances. It uses double negation to convey obligation — literally "cannot not do." For example, 不得不作出让步 means "had no choice but to make concessions."
Examples
下雨了，我不得不取消了户外活动。
Xiàyǔ le, wǒ bùdébù qǔxiāo le hùwài huódòng.
It rained, so I had no choice but to cancel the outdoor activity.
他身体不好，不得不提前退休。
Tā shēntǐ bù hǎo, bùdébù tíqián tuìxiū.
He was in poor health and had no choice but to retire early.
为了赶上飞机，她不得不五点就起床。
Wèile gǎnshàng fēijī, tā bùdébù wǔ diǎn jiù qǐchuáng.
In order to catch the flight, she had no choice but to get up at five o'clock.