"ha de dar"

Question

Hello, friend of mind said this:

"pues si me imagino que les ha de dar pena"

I'm confused about the "ha de dar" part. I've never seen that construction. Can anyone shed some light on it?

Thank you!

Answer 1

A little more on "haber de".

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Answer 2

Like has been said, it's "is to," meaning "has to." In the sentence you gave, think of it like if you saw someone fall off their bike pretty hard, then you could say, "Wow, that has to hurt."

That's an easy way to remember it, thank you - Anna, Jan 31, 2013

Answer 3

I have always looked on "haber de " as being similar to "tener que - To have to"

Has de ir a la escuela - Tienes que ir a la escuela - You have to go to school.

Answer 4

"Haber de" is a construction that means "to be to". Por ejemplo: has de ir a la escuela. You are to go to school. It connotes an obligation to do something. There are a few other threads in the forum on his topic already, so be sure to do a search first.