must or need

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
21

And such as:

If you know what’s good for you!
Too bloody right you do.
It’s for the best.
It’d be a good idea if you did.
What do you think?
It’s up to you, but…

22

I’m sorry again, but do we use ’ needed to’ in a + sentence in the past?
E.g. I needed to go to the hospital.

Thanks again

23

Hi Liza

Your sentence is perfect. It refers to something that was necessary in the past.

In negative sentences, you will hear things like these, for example:

  • I didn’t need to go to the hospital. = It was not necessary for me to go to the hospital. (This sentence does not actually say whether I went to the hospital or not.)

  • I needn’t have gone to the hospital. = I went to the hospital, but it turned out that going to the hospital was unnecessary.
    .