Learn English – He might have had to stay late tonight

grammar

might have had to stay

How should I understand this sentence?

He might have had to stay late tonight.

"might have had to stay" implies that the "stay" happened in the past, but "tonight" is a future time. I'm confused.

EDIT

I know where the problem is.
Is this sentence a subjunctive mood or it's just a normal statement in past tense?

If it's a subjunctive mood, it's perfectly normal.

He might have had to stay late tonight.
(But now he has left.)

If it's a normal statement in past tense, it sounds a bit odd.
Because we don't know when he will leave, it may occur in the future.

Best Answer

It's not the staying that happened in the past. It's the obligation to stay. Might have had to stay indicates that at some point before now, he was given the obligation to stay.

If you want to describe it strictly in the present tense, you could say, "He might be having to stay late tonight." It sounds a little odd to my ear, but I think that's simply because have doesn't often appear in the present progressive (be having) tense.

Related Topic