No tiene que and no tiene por que

[dupond]

Hi everyone

Can "no tiene que" and "no tiene por que" be used interchangeably?

I had thought that "no tiene que" meant "must not" whereas "no tiene por que" meant "it doesn't have to," however, I've seen "no tiene que" translated as "it doesn't have to".

Are there any differences at all between these two phrases?


Thanks

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

No, they are not the same.
"No tiene por qué" talks about the reason why something shouldn't have to be.
"No tiene que" says there is no need for something to be in a certain way.

[dupond]

I've seen "no tiene por qué" translated at http://context.reverso.net/traduccion/espanol-ingles/no+tiene+por+que as "doesn't have to".

Willow... no tiene por que ser así.
Willow, it doesn't have to be like that.

Pero no tiene por que limitarte.
But it doesn't have to limit you.

Él no tiene por que saber.
We don't have to tell him.

Would a more literal translation of "no tiene por qué" be "(He/she/it) has no reason to"? And a looser translation might be "doesn't need to"?

Are there any instances where the two meanings overlap? That is, there is "no need for something" because there is "no reason for it"?

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Would a more literal translation of "no tiene por qué" be "(He/she/it) has no reason to"? And a looser translation might be "doesn't need to"? For me, translations always depend on each context. I can never fix a word or expression to one translation.


Are there any instances where the two meanings overlap? That is, there is "no need for something" because there is "no reason for it"? :thinking: Hmm... probably in some cases there may be some overlap.
Yet, when I hear "no tener por qué", I expect to consider alternatives as there is no reason why something has to be in a certain way, and "no tiene que" asserts that something should/need not be.


- No tiene por qué ser así. -> Nothing is causing this, so you may consider other ways.
It doesn't have to be like this.
- No tiene que ser así. -> It's unacceptable.
It need not be like this

- Pero no tiene por qué limitarte. -> Because you know you can overcome whatever is happening to you.
But it doesn't have to constrain you.
- Pero no tiene que limitarte. -> Come on, you can do better.
But it need not constrain you.

- Él no tiene por qué saber. -> If there is no reason to tell him, don't.
He doesn't have to know.
- Él no tiene que saber. -> He must not know.
He doesn't need to know.


- Niños, no tienen por qué ser tan groseros. -> If no one is being unkind to you, you can be kind.
Children, you don't need to be so rude.
- Niños, no tienen que ser tan groseros. -> Just be kind.
Children, you don't have to be so rude.

- No tengo por qué creerte. -> I know you have lied before.
There's no reason why I should believe you.
- No tengo que creerte. -> Whether I believe you or not, it's irrelevant.
I don't have to believe you.

- No tienes por qué darme regalos. -> There is no reason for it.
You don't have to give me presents.
- No tienes que darme regalos. -> Giving me presents won't change anything.
You don't need to give me presents.

[dupond]

Cheers. Thanks for the examples.