NEEDN'T HAVE AND DIDN'T NEED TO

NEEDN'T HAVE AND DIDN'T NEED TO

Both these forms are used to talk about past events, but there is sometimes a difference in use. When we say that someone needn't have done something, it means that they did it, but it was not necessary. Didn't need to is also sometimes used in this way:

 

Examples:

-You needn't have washed the dishes. I would've put them in the dishwasher.

ª      - I needn't have prepared all that food. They phoned to say they wouldn't be coming.

ª      - We had plenty of petrol in the tank so I didn't need to fill up.

ª      - We didn't need to wait for long for them. They arrived just after us.