Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| avoir besoin de | /a.vwaʁ bə.zwɛ̃ də/ |
| nécessiter | /ne.se.si.te/ |
The phrase avoir besoin de is used for both people and general needs. You can also use the related nouns besoin and nécessité to refer to something required.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase avoir besoin de literally translates to to have need of.
Which one should you use?
While avoir besoin de is used for people and general needs, nécessiter is a more formal verb used when a situation or task requires something (e.g., 'This work requires time'). The English equivalent for nécessiter is 'to necessitate' or 'to require'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, Canada, the phrase avoir besoin de might be replaced by avoir de besoin de.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Because avoir besoin de ends with the preposition de, you must include it before the object you need. When using the noun form un besoin, it is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/a.vwaʁ bə.zwɛ̃ də/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly omit the de when following avoir besoin with an object, but de is grammatically required.
Did you know?
- The verb avoir is part of a large family of cognates, including the English word 'aver', which was borrowed from Old French.
Examples in context
- Je vais avoir besoin de toi.I'm going to need you.This sentence shows how to use avoir besoin de when referring to a person.Tatoeba #5833068 by Aiji, translation #4918933 by CK
- Je vais avoir besoin de ceci.I'll need this.This sentence demonstrates the use of avoir besoin de with an object.Tatoeba #6395983 by Aiji, translation #5858062 by CK
- Je pense avoir besoin de repos.I think I need a rest.This sentence illustrates using avoir besoin de to express a need for rest.Tatoeba #5803165 by Toynop, translation #5588116 by CK
- J'ai besoin d'aide.I need help.
- Elle a besoin d'un stylo.She needs a pen.
- Il a besoin de repos.He needs some rest.
- Cela nécessite une solution rapide.This requires a quick solution.
- Le projet nécessite des fonds supplémentaires.The project requires additional funds.
- Je dois partir tôt demain.I need to leave early tomorrow.
- Tu dois m'aider avec cette tâche.You need to help me with this task.
- 34 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “need” translations and entries avoir besoin de, nécessiter, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries avoir, avoir besoin de, besoin, de, nécessiter, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
