Verbs and expressions of obligation

Tenemos que viajar más

In this lesson you are going to learn some very frequently used Spanish verbs and expressions that show obligation.

There are three personal verbs and four impersonal expressions that we should observe, first of all.

Verbs of obligation

tener que – have to

deber – must

necesitar – to need

These are simple verbs that take form of the person they are referred to. In other words, they conjugate. That’s why we call them personal.

Tener que

tener que – to have to

Tener que is a Spanish direct equivalent to the English have to. Just put que after tener, and it will be converted into an obligation.

Tengo que preparar el almuerzo – I have to cook lunch

Tenemos que llamar al veterinario – We have to call the veterinarian

No tienes que sufrir tanto por el amor – You don’t have to suffer so much for love

Try it yourself:

Do you have to go to the gym tomorrow?

Natalia has to book a room

Don’t you have to get up early? (vosotros)

Deber

deber – must

Deber means having some duty or responsibility to do something.

Debo cuidar a mi abuela – I must take care of my granny

Debes escuchar a los mayores – You must listen to the elders

Debéis resolver este problema para mañana – You must solve this problem for tomorrow

Deber also means to owe.

¿Cuánto te debo? – How much do I owe you?

Try it yourself:

Alberto must pay taxes

We must keep on learning Spanish

You owe me 200 dollars

Necesitar

necesitar – to need

Necesitar is used to express a need. It can be used both with nouns and infinitives.

Necesito un descanso – I need a rest

Necesito descansar – I need to rest

Miguel necesita comprar ropa de verano – Miguel needs to buy summer clothes

Try it yourself:

I need your help

What do you need Spanish for?

They need to find a flat

Paco needs to talk to the boss

Tener que, deber and necesitar have some little differences. If you want to express a need, you use necesitar. To express responsibility, you use deber. For a neutral obligation you use tener que. However, there are some contexts, where this is not very important, and all three verbs can be used as synonyms.

Impersonal expressions

hay que – one has to, it’s necessary

hace falta – it’s needed, it’s necessary

es importante – it’s important

es necesario – it’s necessary

These are the expressions which also express obligation, but they don’t have personal forms.

Hay que

hay que – one has to, it’s necessary

Hay que is like tener que (have to), but impersonal. It doesn’t refer to any determined person, and expresses some general truth, referring to everybody.

To understand it better you can translate it as One has to, or simply It’s necessary to.

Hay que comer más fruta – One has to eat more fruit. It’s necessary to eat more fruit

Hay que dormir 8 horas al día – One has to sleep 8 hours a day. It’s necessary to sleep 8 hours a day

Para hablar bien, hay que practicar mucho – To speak well, it’s necessary to practice a lot

Try it yourself:

One has to have much experience to build a house

It’s necessary to add more salt to the rice

Hace falta

hace falta – it’s necessary, needed, required

Hace falta is almost the same as hay que, but just a tiny bit more formal.

Hace falta vender más productos – It’s necessary to sell more products

Hace falta tener vacaciones por lo menos una vez al año – It’s required to have a vacation at least once a year

Apart from an infinitive, you can use a noun with hace falta.

Hace falta mucha paciencia para pescar en este río – Much patience is needed to fish in this river

Try it yourself:

It’s necessary to print this document

A rest is needed

Es importante

es importante – it’s important

This one is quite straightforward.

Es importante tener buenos amigos – It’s important to have good friends

Es importante saber la historia de España para entender la cultura española – It’s important to know the history of Spain to understand better Spanish culture

Try it yourself:

It’s important to run faster

Is it important to be rich?

Es necesario

es necesario – it’s necessary

Es necesario is the direct equivalent of the English it’s necessary.

Es necesario desarrollar la economía – It’s necessary to develop the economy

Pienso que es necesario poner la carne en la nevera – I think, it’s necessary to put the meat into the fridge

Try it yourself:

It’s necessary to use this tool

How many times a day is it necessary to walk the dog?