It is very important to know how to use and conjugate the verb necesitar in Spanish. This verb is used to express need and interest in any given situation. Let’s say you want to tell someone that you need him to give you call as soon as possible, or that you need to hang out with your friends after a long week. Necesitar is the verb you need.
It is a regular ar-ending verb so you do not need to worry about remembering tons of exceptions to the basic conjugation rules. Here is how you conjugate it in several tenses:
Present
|
Yo |
necesito |
Nosotros (as) |
necesitamos |
|
Tú |
necesitas |
Vosotros |
necesitáis |
|
Él/Ella/Ud. |
necesita |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
necesitan |
Example sentence:
Mi hermano necesita que le envíes el reporte al final del día -- My brother needs you to send the report to him by the end of the day.
Imperfect
|
Yo |
necesitaba |
Nosotros (as) |
necesitábamos |
|
Tú |
necesitabas |
Vosotros |
necesitabais |
|
Él/Ella/Ud. |
necesitaba |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
necesitaban |
Example sentence:
Cuando yo necesitaba de tu ayuda, tú no te molestaste en preguntar qué pasaba. – When I needed your help, you didn’t bother to ask what was wrong.
Preterite
|
Yo |
necesité |
Nosotros (as) |
necesitamos |
|
Tú |
necesitaste |
Vosotros |
necesitabais |
|
Él/Ella/Ud. |
necesitaba |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
necesitaban |
Example sentence:
Ellos necesitaban verte esta mañana, pero no estabas por ningún lado. -- They needed to see you this morning, but you were nowhere to be found.
Future
|
Yo |
necesitaré |
Nosotros (as) |
necesitaremos |
|
Tú |
necesitarás |
Vosotros |
necesitaréis |
|
Él/Ella/Ud. |
necesitará |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
necesitarán |
Example sentence:
Tus amigos necesitarán mucha ayuda para superar este problema. -- Your friends will need a lot of help in order to overcome this problem.
Conditional
|
Yo |
necesitaría |
Nosotros (as) |
necesitaríamos |
|
Tú |
necesitarías |
Vosotros |
necesitaríais |
|
Él/Ella/Ud. |
necesitaría |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
necesitarían |
For example:
Yo necesitaría un nuevo suéter si el que tengo no fuera tan cómodo. -- I would need a new sweater if the one I have weren’t so comfortable.
Did you notice that the conjugations for the first person plural in both present and preterite looked exactly the same?
Nosotros necesitamos que vengas a casa. -- We need you to come home.
Tu mamá y yo (nosotros) necesitamos tu ayuda, pero no estabas dispuesto a ayudarnos. -- Your mom and I needed your help but you weren’t willing to help us.
Idiom with Necesitar
By now you probably understand how to use necesitar when the right situation presents itself. However, here is an idiomatic expression you can learn to broaden your understanding of this verb and its nuances.
No necesitas abuela. This literally means “You don’t need a grandmother.” – This expression is used to refer to someone who compliments himself/herself all the time.
¿Viste qué guapo me veo hoy? -- Did you see how handsome I look today?
Bueno, tú no necesitas abuela.-- Well, you don’t need a grandmother.
Using necesitar in Spanish should not be an issue if you follow the rules above. Whether you need to go out, need someone to do something for you, or simply need someone because you miss him or her, necesitar will come in handy.