tienes que
/tjenes ke/from spelling rules
The English phrase "you need to" is translated into Spanish as tienes que.
tienes que carries a stronger sense of obligation (you must) than the English "you need to".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is literally composed of tienes (you have) and que (that), functioning as "you have to".
How does it change in a sentence?
The form tienes que uses the tú conjugation, which is used for friends, family and peers. The phrase tienes que must be followed by a verb in its infinitive (unconjugated) form.
Did you know?
- The word que is a distant relative of the English word 'who'. Both trace their origins back to a Proto-Indo-European root used for asking questions.
- The phrase tienes que is fundamentally built on the concept of 'possession'. To say 'you need to' is literally to say 'you possess a requirement'.
- Using tienes que can sound like a command or an order to a native speaker, even if the English speaker intends it as a friendly suggestion.
Examples in context
- ¿Te tienes que ir?Do you need to go?Tatoeba #3143017 by cueyayotl, translation #2648548 by CK
- Tienes que perder peso.You need to lose weight.Tatoeba #7181445 by arh, translation #2269454 by Hybrid
- Tienes que ser paciente.You need to be patient.Tatoeba #1501267 by marcelostockle, translation #2020555 by Spamster
- Tienes que estudiar para el examen.You need to study for the exam.
- Es necesario que completes los formularios.It is necessary that you complete the forms.
- Tienes que lavar los platos.You need to wash the dishes.
- Debes comer más verduras.You need to eat more vegetables.
- Es necesario que practiques más guitarra.You need to practice the guitar more.
- Tienes que estudiar.You need to study.
- Debes practicar más deporte.You need to practice more sports.
- 71 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and María are talking in their kitchen about chores.
- AlejandroMaría, tienes que limpiar la cocina.María, you need to clean the kitchen.
- MaríaEstá bien, la limpiaré ahora.Okay, I will clean it now.
- AlejandroGracias, también tienes que sacar la basura.Thanks, you also need to take out the trash.
- MaríaLo haré después de limpiar.I will do it after cleaning.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries que, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
