Forms
Baseought to
Negativeought not to
Contractedoughtn't to
Past form(historical: ought to)
Past negativeought not to have
Past contractedoughtn't to have
Question patternOught I to …?
Meanings & usage
- Moral duty: “You ought to help her.” Right thing to do
- Advice: “You ought to see a specialist.” Formal recommendation
- Expectation: “They ought to arrive soon.” Based on schedule
- Past regret: “I ought to have listened.” Missed action with moral weight
- Faint obligation: “You ought to apologize.” Socially expected
Tense patterns
How this modal combines with a base verb across time references. The modal itself doesn’t conjugate; the time meaning comes from what you attach.
Reference
Affirmative
Negative
Question
Present/future
I ought to work
I oughtn't to work
Ought I to work?
Perfect (regret)
I ought to have worked
I oughtn't to have worked
Ought I to have worked?
Continuous
I ought to be working
I oughtn't to be working
Ought I to be working?
Perfect continuous
I ought to have been working
I oughtn't to have been working
Ought I to have been working?
Common mistakes
Always include to after ought: "You ought to know" ✓ vs "You ought know" ✗. In questions and negatives, ought to sounds formal / old-fashioned to some speakers — should is the safer everyday choice.