Need: How and When to Use in English
Quick and simple lesson to help you understand grammar better.
Test your English and learn even more with Gymglish.
TEST YOUR ENGLISH
Free trial and no commitment to buy
4,7 on App Store, Play Store and Trustpilot
More than 8 million learners worldwide
Need
Need expresses necessity, or something lacking. It acts both as an ordinary verb and an auxiliary verb:
• As an ordinary verb (to need), it is conjugated with do/does/did and is followed by the infinitive with to:
• As an ordinary verb (to need), it is conjugated with do/does/did and is followed by the infinitive with to:
I need to do my laundry. I have a necessity to do my laundry.
Do you need anything? Do you have a necessity for anything? Are you lacking or missing anything?
He doesn't need a teacher. He doesn't require a teacher.
• As an auxiliary verb, it is mainly found in its negative and interrogative forms, but is rarely used:
You needn't do it if you don't want to. It's not necessary to do it if you don't want to.
Need I come? Is it necessary for me to come? Must I come?
Still facing difficulties with 'Need'? Improve your English with Gymglish's English lessons - try our online English course for free now and receive a free level assessment!
What our users say:
Find out about other grammar rules. Improve your English further and test Gymglish, online English lessons.
Tips for learning 'Need'? Share them with us!
