Introduction
Necesitar means «to need». Necesitar is the everyday verb for needs: you need time, help, money, a break. It is followed directly by a noun or an infinitive, and it appears in almost every request, shopping list and plan you will ever make in Spanish. It is a regular -ar verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of necesitar in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example: «Yo necesito más tiempo todos los días.» — I need more time every day.
Quick facts
| Infinitive | necesitar |
| English | to need |
| Verb type | Regular -ar verb |
| Gerund | necesitando |
| Past participle | necesitado |
| Auxiliary verb | haber |
Full conjugation tables
Gerund: necesitando · Past participle: necesitado
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | necesito |
| tú | necesitas |
| él/ella/Ud. | necesita |
| nosotros/as | necesitamos |
| vosotros/as | necesitáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | necesitan |
The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For necesitar, the yo form is necesito, as in «Yo necesito» in the examples below. Use the present for routines («todos los días») and for general truths.
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | necesité |
| tú | necesitaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | necesitó |
| nosotros/as | necesitamos |
| vosotros/as | necesitasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | necesitaron |
The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo necesité» is the classic use. Do not confuse it with the imperfect: the preterite moves the story forward, one finished event at a time.
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | necesitaba |
| tú | necesitabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | necesitaba |
| nosotros/as | necesitábamos |
| vosotros/as | necesitabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | necesitaban |
The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. «De pequeño, yo necesitaba» shows the habitual use. It sets the scene while the preterite reports what happened inside it.
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | necesitaré |
| tú | necesitarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | necesitará |
| nosotros/as | necesitaremos |
| vosotros/as | necesitaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | necesitarán |
The future tense states what will happen. For necesitar the future is built on the infinitive: «Mañana yo necesitaré». It is also used for predictions and promises, and in spoken Spanish it often alternates with ir a + infinitive.
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | necesitaría |
| tú | necesitarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | necesitaría |
| nosotros/as | necesitaríamos |
| vosotros/as | necesitaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | necesitarían |
The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo necesitaría» is the typical pattern. It shares its stem with the future and changes only the endings.
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he necesitado |
| tú | has necesitado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha necesitado |
| nosotros/as | hemos necesitado |
| vosotros/as | habéis necesitado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han necesitado |
The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. It is haber in the present plus the past participle: «Hoy yo he necesitado». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred.
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había necesitado |
| tú | habías necesitado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había necesitado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos necesitado |
| vosotros/as | habíais necesitado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían necesitado |
The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había necesitado». It is haber in the imperfect plus the past participle, and it is the tense for explaining what had already happened when something else took place.
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré necesitado |
| tú | habrás necesitado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá necesitado |
| nosotros/as | habremos necesitado |
| vosotros/as | habréis necesitado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán necesitado |
The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré necesitado» is the pattern — haber in the future plus the past participle. It is less common in speech but regular in formal writing.
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría necesitado |
| tú | habrías necesitado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría necesitado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos necesitado |
| vosotros/as | habríais necesitado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían necesitado |
The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría necesitado si hubiera podido». It is haber in the conditional plus the past participle, and it is the tense for regrets and missed chances.
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | necesite |
| tú | necesites |
| él/ella/Ud. | necesite |
| nosotros/as | necesitemos |
| vosotros/as | necesitéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | necesiten |
The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él necesite». The trigger is in the main clause; the subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty, desire and influence. Learn the yo form first — most of the table follows from it.
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | necesitara |
| tú | necesitaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | necesitara |
| nosotros/as | necesitáramos |
| vosotros/as | necesitarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | necesitaran |
The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él necesitara, todo sería distinto». The table above shows the -ra forms, the ones you will hear most often. There is also a less common -se set built on the same stem.
Imperative — Affirmative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | necesita |
| él/ella/Ud. | necesite |
| nosotros/as | necesitemos |
| vosotros/as | necesitad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | necesiten |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡Necesita!». There is no yo form — you cannot command yourself. The tú form is the one you will use with friends and family, and the usted form with people you address formally.
Imperative — Negative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | necesites |
| él/ella/Ud. | necesite |
| nosotros/as | necesitemos |
| vosotros/as | necesitéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | necesiten |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No necesites!». Unlike the affirmative imperative, the negative forms come from the present subjunctive, which is why they look different. Never use the affirmative form after no.
Example sentences
- Yo necesito más tiempo todos los días. — I need more time every day.
- Mi hermana necesita más tiempo mucho. — My sister needs more time a lot.
- Ayer yo necesité más tiempo por la tarde. — Yesterday I needed more time in the afternoon.
- De pequeño, yo necesitaba más tiempo muchas veces. — As a child, I used to need more time often.
- Mañana yo necesitaré más tiempo sin falta. — Tomorrow I will need more time without fail.
- Si tuviera más tiempo, yo necesitaría más tiempo ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would need more time right now.
- Hoy yo he necesitado ayuda dos veces. — Today I have needed help twice.
- Espero que él necesite más tiempo pronto. — I hope he needs more time soon.
- ¡No necesites tanto tiempo para decidir! — Don't need so much time to decide!
- Ahora mismo estoy necesitando más tiempo. — Right now I am needing more time.
Common mistakes
1. Forgetting the accent in the preterite
Wrong: necesite
Right: necesité
The yo preterite of necesitar carries a written accent: necesité. Without it, necesite is the present subjunctive yo form, a completely different tense.
2. Using the imperfect for a finished event
Wrong: Ayer yo necesitaba más tiempo.
Right: Ayer yo necesité más tiempo.
Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, necesité. The imperfect necesitaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.
3. Confusing it with a similar verb
Wrong: *Necesito de estudiar.
Right: Necesito estudiar.
Necesitar is followed directly by the infinitive, with no preposition. The de is a common transfer from other languages.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
Wrong: Espero que tú necesitas más tiempo.
Right: Espero que tú necesites más tiempo.
After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: necesites, not the indicative necesitas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.
5. Using the affirmative imperative after no
Wrong: No necesita más tiempo.
Right: No necesites más tiempo.
Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no necesites. The affirmative necesita can never follow no.
Quiz
Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.
1. What is the yo form of necesitar in the present tense?
- (a) necesita
- (b) necesitamos
- (c) necesitas
- (d) necesito
2. What is the él/ella form of necesitar in the preterite?
- (a) necesitamos
- (b) necesitaste
- (c) necesité
- (d) necesitó
3. What is the nosotros form of necesitar in the imperfect?
- (a) necesitaba
- (b) necesitabas
- (c) necesitábamos
4. What is the tú form of necesitar in the future tense?
- (a) necesitaremos
- (b) necesitará
- (c) necesitarás
- (d) necesitaré
5. What is the ellos form of necesitar in the conditional?
- (a) necesitaría
- (b) necesitarían
- (c) necesitarías
6. What is the yo form of necesitar in the present perfect?
- (a) ha necesitado
- (b) has necesitado
- (c) he necesitado
- (d) hemos necesitado
7. After «Espero que…», what is the tú form of necesitar?
- (a) necesite
- (b) necesitemos
- (c) necesites
8. What is the nosotros form of necesitar in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra)?
- (a) necesitara
- (b) necesitáramos
- (c) necesitaras
9. What is the gerund of necesitar?
- (a) necesitado
- (b) necesitando
- (c) necesitar
- (d) necesito
10. What is the past participle of necesitar?
- (a) necesitado
- (b) necesitando
- (c) necesitar
- (d) necesité
Answer key
1. (d) necesito — In the present, the yo form of necesitar is necesito. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
2. (d) necesitó — In the preterite, the el form of necesitar is necesitó. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
3. (c) necesitábamos — In the imperfect, the nosotros form of necesitar is necesitábamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
4. (c) necesitarás — In the future, the tu form of necesitar is necesitarás. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
5. (b) necesitarían — In the conditional, the ellos form of necesitar is necesitarían. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
6. (c) he necesitado — In the present perfect, the yo form of necesitar is he necesitado. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
7. (c) necesites — In the present subjunctive, the tu form of necesitar is necesites. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
8. (b) necesitáramos — In the imperfect subjunctive, the nosotros form of necesitar is necesitáramos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
9. (b) necesitando — The gerund of necesitar is necesitando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy necesitando».
10. (a) necesitado — The past participle of necesitar is necesitado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he necesitado».
Frequently asked questions
Is necesitar regular or irregular?
Yes, necesitar is a regular -ar verb. Every tense follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can generate the whole table. The only thing to watch is choosing the right tense, not the forms themselves.
What are the gerund and past participle of necesitar?
The gerund is necesitando and the past participle is necesitado. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy necesitando») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he necesitado»).
What is the difference between necesitar and hacer falta?
Necesitar and hacer falta are often confused. Hacer falta (me hace falta tiempo) expresses a need impersonally; necesitar states it directly.
How do I say «I need» in Spanish?
Say «Yo necesito». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.
Which tense do learners find hardest with necesitar?
Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (necesité) for a single finished event and the imperfect (necesitaba) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.
Related links
- Practise this verb in one tense: necesitar-present-tense
- More examples and a quiz: necesitar-examples-and-quiz
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/
- Related verb: usar
- Related verb: ayudar
- Related verb: preguntar
- Conjugate any verb: verb-conjugator
- Test yourself: verb-quiz