Forced by Circumstance: приходится
In Russian, when you want to say that someone "has to" do something because external circumstances leave them no choice, use the impersonal verb приходится.
Because this is an impersonal construction, the person who "has to" do the action takes the dative case (e.g., мне - to me; людям - to people). The action they are forced to do follows as an infinitive.
| I often have to reschedule meetings because of bad weather. | Мне часто приходится переносить встречи из-за плохой погоды. |
| Sometimes people have to put up with small inconveniences. | Иногда людям приходится терпеть маленькие неудобства. |
The Past Tense: пришлось
To say that you had to do something, use the past tense form. Since there is no grammatical subject in an impersonal sentence, the verb takes the default neuter singular ending: пришлось.
| Yesterday we had to postpone the flight that was in the evening. | Вчера нам пришлось перенести рейс, который был вечером. |
This structure perfectly expresses having to change plans or endure inconveniences due to unexpected situations, such as a new circumstance (обстоятельство).
| Because of these circumstances, the director had to postpone the meeting. | Из-за этих обстоятельств директору пришлось перенести собрание. |
The Future Tense: придётся
To talk about things you will have to do, use the future perfective form: придётся. The structure remains exactly the same: Dative + придётся + Infinitive.
| You will have to save money in order to buy this house. | Тебе придётся экономить деньги, чтобы купить этот дом. |
You can also use this structure to ask questions about unavoidable future tasks.
| Will the students have to read an additional text in order to pass the exam? | Студентам придётся прочитать дополнительный текст, чтобы сдать экзамен? |
"Have to" vs "Must": приходится vs должен
In English, we often use "have to" for all kinds of obligations. In Russian, the distinction is important:
- приходится emphasizes being forced by outside conditions (like bad weather, delays, or a lack of resources).
- должен is used for personal duties, moral obligations, or direct requirements ("must" or "obliged to").
Unlike приходится, должен is not impersonal. It acts like an adjective, matching the gender and number of a nominative subject.
| My brother has to save more than I do. | Мой брат должен экономить больше, чем я. |
