What you have to do is to vs What you have to do is

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. The first phrase 'what you have to do is to' is used when introducing an action or task that needs to be done. The second phrase 'what you have to do is' is used when the action or task is already known or implied.

Last updated: March 27, 2024

What you have to do is to

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English when introducing an action or task that needs to be done.

This phrase is used to introduce a specific action or task that the listener needs to perform. The 'to' is used before the verb to indicate the action that follows.

Examples:

What you have to do is to complete the assignment by Friday.
What you have to do is to follow the instructions carefully.
What you have to do is to call the customer service hotline.
What you have to do is to make a reservation in advance.
What you have to do is to submit your application online.

Show examples from the web [+]

What you have to do is to use that.
In order to win this symmetrical object, what you have to do is to answer the question I asked you at the beginning.
What you'll have to do is to rewire the laser panel's brain by carefully...
What you have to do is propose an end to all the production aid.
So what you have to do now is to create a healthy climate for yourself because that's how you create a healthy climate for the baby.
What you have to do is linearize the structure to permit the addition of chimeric plasmids.
But what you do have to do is pay attention to the teacher.
I think what you have to do is try not to...
Okay, now what you have to do is you have to think nice thoughts.
What you have to do is get the listener to claim what you've done as theirs.
What you have to do is you've got to look for the ten dullest-named committees happening out of the executive branch.
What you have to do is sit here and to talk to me.
What you have to do is you have to... protect yourself.
And what you have to do is you have to get in that room and tell me exactly what you see.
What you have to do is you have to lower it.
See, when the bill comes, what you have to do is you have to reach in your pocket, take the lock off your wallet, take out the green paper - it's called money - and you pay for the bill.
So, when you walk up to a door and you open it, what you compulsively have to do to perceive is to make decisions,
So, when you walk up to a door and you open it, what you compulsively have to do to perceive is to make decisions, thousands of decisions about the size of the room, the walls, the height, the objects in this room.
But what you have to do is you have to order it, and when you order it, you have to ask for extra jalapenos... except, instead of saying jalapenos, you have to say "jalapenos." (Tom chuckles)

Alternatives:

What you need to do is to
What you must do is to
What you should do is to
What you are required to do is to
What you are supposed to do is to