Could you explain the difference with have to and will have to. I know that will have to is future. Bu take this example.
I have work to do. I have to do it tomorrow.
I have work to do. I can’t finish it now. I will have to do it tomorrow.
Is ther a time when you can use both or is there some specific rule. I have trouble distinguishing the two when do you definitely know when to use one from the other. I know will have to is for the future but it seems to be that you can use both for future in some cases.
The impression I get from your particular examples is that example 1 suggests that the obligation/necessity to “do the work tomorrow” had already been previously established – a “pre-existing” or “already known” obligation, so to speak. Since there is no mention of doing any of the work today, the obligation seems to have been set previously and specifically for tomorrow. Possibly it is a recurring sort of obligation. In other words, the broader context might be that any work coming into the office at the end of any given workday must always be done the following day.
Example 2 suggests that the speaker has just now established the obligation/necessity to “do the work tomorrow”. The current circumstances have in essence created the necessitiy to “do the work tomorrow”. This use of “will” strikes me as being similar to the usage we often need in a telephone conversation. For example, someone might call you at work and ask you to send them a copy of the XYZ Report. Prior to the phone call, you had no plan to send this person a copy of the XYZ Report. However, when the caller now asks you to do this, you make an on-the-spot decision to do so: “Sure, I will send that report to you right away.”
‘I have to do something’ suggests a requirement to do something. Most naturally that is in the present situation. You are talking to someone on the phone and because you are in a hurry, you say: I have to go now because I have got an appointment to go to the dentist at 4. ‘I will have to’ also suggests a requirement to do something. Most naturally that is in a time that is coming up. You are talking on the phone and because there is a knock on the door, you say: I will have to call you back later because the plumber has come to service my central heating.
