didn't/hadm't

[Tan Elaine]

They had to get there in a taxi, didn't/hadn't they?

I think it is "hadn't". Could some please confirm that I am correct?

Thanks in advance.

 

[fighting spirit]

Re: didn't/;hadm't

No, you're wrong.

They had to get there in a taxi, didn't they?

 

[corum]

Re: didn't/;hadm't

They had to get there in a taxi, didn't/hadn't they?

I think it is "hadn't". Could some please confirm that I am correct?

Thanks in advance.

You know what 'semi' in semi-auxiliaries mean? It means they have tensed as well as tenseless forms. In negatives, when they are supported by an operator, they have tenseless form. When there is no operator, 'have to' is **finite (tensed)**. Operator is the first verb in interrogatives.

Did you have to...? -- tenseless
Had I to.. -- tensed (rare)

They had to .. had they not to (≠ hadn't they) -- BrE; somewhat old-fashioned
They had to .. did they not (have to...) = didn't they -- widely used pattern

EDIT: ** .. **

 

[Teia]

They had to get there in a taxi, didn't/hadn't they?

I think it is "hadn't". Could some please confirm that I am correct?

Thanks in advance.

Hi

They had to get there by taxi [ in a taxi is wrongly used ], didn`t they?

Had to [past form of must ] is conjugated as any other verb in the past:

I had to go - affirmative
Did I have to go? - interrogative
I didn`t have to go - negative
Didn`t I have to go? - interrogative - negative

Here is a sentence where you have to choose hadn`t they:

They had had to [ past perfect tense ] to go there before she arrived, hadn`t they?

or

She`d better see a doctor, hadn`t she?

 

[Tan Elaine]

Corum and Teia seem to have different answers. Fighting Spirit's answer is "didn't they".

Could anybody else give me his or her view?

Thanks in advance.