HSK 5 grammar · adverb
不得不
不得不 — have no choice but to
Pattern
+ +
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
A double-negative meaning 'cannot not do,' i.e. one is forced by circumstances to do something. It stresses reluctant necessity, unlike neutral 必须 ('must'), which simply states a requirement.
Examples
下大雨了，我们不得不取消比赛。
Xià dàyǔ le, wǒmen bùdébù qǔxiāo bǐsài.
It rained hard, so we had no choice but to cancel the match.
钱不够，他不得不借了一些。
Qián bú gòu, tā bùdébù jiè le yìxiē.
Short on money, he had no choice but to borrow some.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 不得不 is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.