Need en inglés
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Need
Need ('necesitar') expresa una necesidad. Éste es, al mismo tiempo, un verbo ordinario y un verbo auxiliar:
• Como verbo ordinario (to need), se conjuga con do/does/did y va seguido del verbo en infinitivo con to:
• Como verbo ordinario (to need), se conjuga con do/does/did y va seguido del verbo en infinitivo con to:
I need to do my laundry. Necesito lavar mi ropa.
Do you need anything? ¿Necesitas algo?
He doesn't need a teacher. No necesita un profesor.
• Como verbo auxiliar (no muy frecuente), lo encontramos principalmente en sus formas negativas e interrogativas:
You needn't do it if you don't want to. No tienes que hacerlo si no quieres.
Need I come? ¿Es necesario que yo venga? (significado similar a must)
Ejercicio 1
I to the store right now. Do you anything?
I am going 1 to the store right now. Do you need 2 anything?
1 am going: We use the present progressive tense to describe an action in progress. In this sentence, the speaker is probably on his way to the store (as we speak), however the present progressive is still appropriate.
1 go: The simple present tense is only used to describe regular or habitual activities, or permanent ones. The phrase 'right now' tells us that 'going to the store' is not a habitual activity, but simply one which is in progress.
1 went: 'Went' is incorrect here because the phrase 'right now' indicates this activity does not take place in the past.
2 need: 'Need' is the correct choice. The second person, present tense form of the verb 'to need' is 'you need'. We know that the present tense is needed because of the phrase 'right now' which indicates that this action takes place in the present.
2 needed: Because the phrase 'right now' places this action in the present tense, we cannot use the past tense form of this verb.
2 needing: Because the phrase 'right now' places this action in the present tense, we cannot use a progressive form of this verb. Moreover, the verb 'to need' is rarely used in the progressive tense, it describes a 'state' or condition. We use the present progressive tense to describe actions which are ongoing or in progress.
Ejercicio 2
I go home. I still to do a lot of homework.
I had better 1 go home. I still need 2 to do a lot of homework.
1 had better: We use 'had better' as an auxiliary to express a strong suggestion or warning. Here the speaker suggests that he or she should probably go home as a result of the homework they must do. Note that 'had better' must be followed by the shortened infinitive form of a verb without 'to' (example: 'go').
1 need: We cannot use the auxiliary 'need' in this case. 'Need' requires that a full infinitive verb ('to go') follow it in order to express obligation or necessity.
2 need: 'Need' is the best choice here, because the speaker is expressing an obligation. Note that it is followed by the full infinitive verb 'to do'.
2 had better: 'Had better' cannot be followed by the full infinitive 'to do' in this case. The 'had better' construction is never followed by a verb in the full infinitive form (with 'to').
Ejercicio 3
Bob: Hi, mother! I hope you liked your song this morning. I the attendants at the institution to sing you 'Happy Birthday'.
Mom: I hated it.
Bob: Well, I should probably get back to work. Let me know if you need anything.
Mom: I you me out of this place.
Bob: Bye!
Mom: I hated it.
Bob: Well, I should probably get back to work. Let me know if you need anything.
Mom: I you me out of this place.
Bob: Bye!
Bob: Hi, mother! I hope you liked your song this morning. I had 1 the attendants at the institution agree 2 to sing you 'Happy Birthday'.
Mom: I hated it.
Bob: Well, I should probably get back to work. Let me know if you need anything.
Mom: I need 3 you to get 4 me out of this place.
Bob: Bye!
Mom: I hated it.
Bob: Well, I should probably get back to work. Let me know if you need anything.
Mom: I need 3 you to get 4 me out of this place.
Bob: Bye!
1 had: This is the best choice here. Because the phrase requires a main verb (to have), and because the action it refers to takes place in the past, we use 'had' here.
1 have: Because Bob is speaking about 'this morning' we know the action takes place in the past, therefore we cannot use the present tense form 'have' here.
1 to have: We cannot use an infinitive verb (to have) directly preceded by the subject of a clause (I).
1 having: Because Bob is speaking about 'this morning' we know the action takes place in the past. We must conjugate the verb 'have' into the past tense form 'had' here.
2 agree: This is the best choice here. When we use the construction 'have someone do something', the second verb (agree) is always in the infinitive, without being preceded by the infinitive marker 'to'. For example: 'I had my wife phone the doctor' or 'I'll have my secretary email you with the details'.
2 to agree: We cannot use the full form of the infinitive (to agree) in a construction such as this. We must drop the infinitive marker 'to'.
2 agreeing: Because the first verb of this clause (had) already carries the past tense, we do not conjugate 'agree'. We must leave it in the infinitive form.
2 agreed: Because the first verb of this clause (had) already carries the past tense, we do not conjugate 'agree'. We must leave it in the infinitive form.
3 need: Bob's mother is giving an imperative statement in the present tense, therefore we must conjugate 'need' in the present tense form. Note: the present tense form of 'need' carries a sense of future!
3 needed: Because Mom is referring to a present state, we cannot conjugate 'need' into the past tense here.
3 to need: We cannot use an infinitive verb directly preceded by the subject of a clause. 'I to need' is grammatically incorrect.
3 needing: Because there is not another auxiliary preceding it, we cannot conjugate 'need' into the continuous form here.
4 to get: This is the best choice here. When using the auxiliary 'need', the verb which follows (to get) should be written in the infinitive form, with the infinitive marker 'to' preceding the infinitive verb. The construction 'need to do something' expresses an obligation to take an action. For example: 'You need to make an appointment with the doctor' or 'I need my boss to give me a pay rise'.
4 get: 'I need you get me' is grammatically incorrect. We cannot use the infinitive verb 'get' without the infinitive marker 'to' in this construction.
4 got: Because the first verb of this clause (to need) is in the present tense, we cannot conjugate the second verb (to get) into the past tense.
4 getting: Because the first verb of this clause (to need) is in the present tense, we cannot conjugate 'to get' into another tense. We must leave it in the full infinitive form.
Ejercicio 4
Icarus: We get going before it starts to rain.
Luna: But rain brings life. like to jump in puddles with me?
Icarus: But there's a thirteen percent chance I'll slip and break my leg.
Luna: You to learn how to live a little, Icarus.
* puddles are small pools of water which are formed from rain or snow.
Luna: But rain brings life. like to jump in puddles with me?
Icarus: But there's a thirteen percent chance I'll slip and break my leg.
Luna: You to learn how to live a little, Icarus.
* puddles are small pools of water which are formed from rain or snow.
Icarus: We had better 1 get going before it starts to rain.
Luna: But rain brings life. Wouldn't you 2 like to jump in puddles with me?
Icarus: But there's a thirteen percent chance I'll slip and break my leg.
Luna: You need 3 to learn how to live a little, Icarus.
* puddles are small pools of water which are formed from rain or snow.
Luna: But rain brings life. Wouldn't you 2 like to jump in puddles with me?
Icarus: But there's a thirteen percent chance I'll slip and break my leg.
Luna: You need 3 to learn how to live a little, Icarus.
* puddles are small pools of water which are formed from rain or snow.
1 had better: This is the best choice here. The expression being used in this sentence is 'We had better', which is synonymous with 'We ought to' or 'We should', all of which express a conditional sentiment that someone 'should' act in a certain way. Icarus is strongly suggesting that they get going before they get wet in the rain.
1 would be best: 'We would be best get going' is grammatically incorrect. 'Would be best' is not often used with a human subject. We could say, however: 'It would be best if we got going before the rain started'.
1 should better: 'Should better' is not a valid grammatical construction, though it is sometimes used in slang or in local dialects. 'Should' on its own is better! In a different context, we might say, 'They should better serve their employees'. However, in this context, 'better' is an adverb that modifies the verb 'to serve' (= they should serve their employees in a better way).
1 need: We cannot use 'need' in a construction such as this without the full infinitive 'to get going'. For example: 'We need to get going'.
2 Wouldn't you: 'Would' best expresses Luna's question in this example. She uses negative inversion (Wouldn't you) to provoke an affirmative reply. 'Puddles' are small pools of water that you find on the street after a rain storm, children like to jump in them.
2 Hadn't you better: We never use the expression 'had better' in the negative form, nor do we use it in an inverted form to ask a question.
2 Shouldn't you: 'Shouldn't you like' is grammatically awkward. We could say: 'Shouldn't you jump in puddles?' but this would have a different meaning than that expressed in the context of this dialogue.
3 need: This is the best choice here. 'You need to do something' is quite a common expression in English, which 'strongly suggests' or 'commands' someone to do something. Luna is telling Icarus that he does not take enough risks.
3 had better: We cannot use 'had better' followed by the full infinitive 'to learn'. We could say, however: 'You had better learn how to live a little'.
3 would be best: 'You would be best to learn how to live a little' is grammatically incorrect. 'Would be best' is not often used with a human subject. We could say, however: 'It would be best if you learned how to live a little', but this is still rather awkward.
Ejercicio 5
Each of the following phrases could be expressed differently. Choose the appropriate corresponding sentence for each of the following phrases:
For example: You could be a better lover = I wish you were a better lover
It seems you're quite intelligent =
It's a requirement that you're intelligent =
It would be better for you if you were intelligent =
For example: You could be a better lover = I wish you were a better lover
It seems you're quite intelligent =
It's a requirement that you're intelligent =
It would be better for you if you were intelligent =
Each of the following phrases could be expressed differently. Choose the appropriate corresponding sentence for each of the following phrases:
For example: You could be a better lover = I wish you were a better lover
It seems you're quite intelligent = You must be intelligent 1
It's a requirement that you're intelligent = You need to be intelligent 2
It would be better for you if you were intelligent = You should be intelligent 3
For example: You could be a better lover = I wish you were a better lover
It seems you're quite intelligent = You must be intelligent 1
It's a requirement that you're intelligent = You need to be intelligent 2
It would be better for you if you were intelligent = You should be intelligent 3
1 You must be intelligent: This is the best choice here. 'You must be intelligent' is not a direct order for someone to be intelligent, but usually an exclamation. For example: 'I can't believe you just recited the first fifty pages of the Bible from memory! You must be intelligent'.
1 You should be intelligent: This is not the meaning of the sentence.
1 You need to be intelligent: This is not the meaning of the sentence.
2 You need to be intelligent: This is the best choice here. 'You need to be intelligent' expresses an order or requirement for someone to be intelligent, because it is 'necessary'. For example: 'This is one of the best schools in the country. You need to be intelligent if you want to get accepted'.
2 You should be intelligent: This is not the meaning of the sentence.
3 You should be intelligent: This is the best choice here. 'You should be intelligent' is synonymous with 'you ought to be intelligent' and expresses the conditional. For example: 'You should be intelligent, if you want to become an astronomer'.
3 You must be intelligent: This is not the meaning of the sentence.
3 You need to be intelligent: This is not the meaning of the sentence.
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