To need to

Matthew G.B2Kwiziq community member

To need to

For ‘to need to’, when to use necessitated and when to use tener que?

Asked 2 years ago
InmaNative Spanish expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hola Matthew

Tener que and Necesitar are pretty interchangeable, but if we are a bit more specific on the more typical scenarios when we use one or the other, we can see some tendencies.

If you are talking about some sort of "need" in a general sense, you can say:

Tengo que ir al médico.

Necesito ir al médico.

However, there is a "tendency" to use necesitar when we are talking about some kind of physical or mental need; for example in:

Necesito beber agua. (I need to drink some water.)

Necesitas dormir un poco. (You need to have some sleep.)

Necesito conocer a gente nueva. Nunca salgo. (I need to meet new people. I never go out.)

But, really, in practice, you can't go wrong using one or the other.

Saludos

Inma

Matthew G.B2Kwiziq community member

…I mean necesitar

To need to

For ‘to need to’, when to use necessitated and when to use tener que?

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