On 11/14/2016 5:40 PM, Lieven wrote:
I only see that canon examples sometimes use "must" and sometimes "need". Maybe it's me again proving my lack of english knowledge that you see more than I do? Or is this up to personal interpretation?
Here's <http://www.engvid.com/modals-of-necessity/> an excellent video explanation of the difference between /need/ and /have to/ (and /have to/ equals /must/). It says that /have to/ focuses on the consequences of not doing something, while /need/ focuses on the benefit of doing something. If you /have to/ do something, there is some agency requiring it of you; this is not the case with /need./ However, the reality isn't all that clear-cut. People interchange /need, must,/ and /have to/ all the time. For instance, while *nIteb SuvnIS DevwI'//*is translated with /must/ instead of /need,/ there is no sense in this sentence that any agency is imposing lone-fighting on a leader; rather, it's saying that a leader has a personal necessity of lone-fighting. So don't count too much on these terms having distinct meanings when used in colloquial English. Now, if someone wants to pull up a few instances of *-nIS* being used where an agency is imposing an action and consequences of failure on the subject, and not just instances where the English translation uses /must,/ I'll be happy to revise my opinion. -- SuStel http://trimboli.name