it should have taken

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Hello,

I am used to doing this mistake but now I am not sure if it is really a mistake.

"it had to take less time"

instead of " it should have taken less time"

Is it possible to use " have to" with "it"
I feel confident about a " I have to read"
or " I had to read" but not with a " it had to be"
Thanks for any help
Jean-Luc

[Mister Micawber]

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Generally speaking, there is no reason not to use 'it' with 'to have to':

It Had to Be More Than Just Stress - washingtonpost.com
It Had To Happen: The Disposable Computer - Technology News by TechWeb
If it's war, it has to be legitimate | Special reports | The Observer

Is that what you mean?
.
_________________
Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Regnier]

yes exactly what I meant. Therefore I should be able to use
"It had to take less time" as" it should have taken less time" equally?

[Mister Micawber]

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No, the meanings are different. 'Had to' = 'must' and 'should' = 'ought to'.
.
_________________
Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Regnier]

ok I got it. Many thanks
JLuc