necesito
/neθesito/from spelling rules
The Spanish word necesito means 'I need'.
necesito is used to express that you, the speaker, require something. While necesito specifically means 'I need', the related form necesita is used when referring to someone else.
Which one should you use?
The form necesito is used for 'I need'. In contrast, necesitas means 'you need' and necesita means 'he/she needs'.
How does it change in a sentence?
necesito is the first-person singular present indicative form of the verb. To say 'I need to [verb]', use necesito directly followed by an infinitive verb. If you want to say 'I need that…' followed by a clause containing a subject and a verb, you must use necesito que and employ the subjunctive mood.
How do you pronounce it?
/neθesito/
Did you know?
- In some dialects, using necesito to ask for something in a shop or restaurant can sound like a demand rather than a request. To be polite, speakers often use the conditional form necesitaría or the phrase quisiera.
- The word necesito shares a distant linguistic root with the English word 'necessity', both tracing back to the Latin necessitas meaning 'inevitable'.
- While necesito is the standard word for 'I need', Spanish speakers often use me hace falta to express a similar need, which literally translates to 'it is lacking to me'.
Examples in context
- Me urge recibir una respuesta lo antes posible.I urgently need to receive a response as soon as possible.
- Estoy urgido de una respuesta lo más pronto posible.I urgently need a response as soon as possible.
- Necesito comprar víveres para la cena.I need to buy groceries for dinner.
- ¿Necesitas ayuda con ese proyecto?Do you need help with that project?
- Necesito un café.I need a coffee.
- Necesito dormir.I need to sleep.
- Necesito un café ahora.I need a coffee now.
- Necesito ayuda con mi tarea.I need help with my homework.
- Necesito más tiempo para terminar.I need more time to finish.
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are at a grocery store.
- LucíaNecesito comprar leche.I need to buy milk.
- Daniel¿También necesitas pan, Lucía?Do you also need bread, Lucía?
- LucíaSí, necesito pan también.Yes, I need bread too.
- DanielEstá bien, vamos al pasillo de pan.Okay, let's go to the bread aisle.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
