Tener Que, Hay Que, and Necesitar: Everyday Needs and Obligations

In this lesson, you will learn three useful ways to talk about needs and obligations in Spanish: tener que + infinitive, hay que + infinitive, and necesitar + noun or infinitive.

The main idea is simple: tener que expresses a personal obligation, hay que expresses a general obligation, and necesitar expresses a need.

Using tener que for a personal obligation

Use a present-tense form of tener + que + infinitive when a specific person has to do something.

— I have to work.
— You have to study.
— He / she has to wait.
— We have to leave.
— They have to repeat.

The person changes the form of tener. The second verb stays in the infinitive.

Present-tense forms of tener que

Subject	Spanish	English
yo		I have to
tú		you have to
él / ella / usted		he / she has to; you have to
nosotros / nosotras		we have to
vosotros / vosotras		you all have to
ellos / ellas / ustedes		they have to; you all have to

Tener que with familiar daily actions

— I have to study Spanish.
— I have to work today.
— I have to make the meal.
— I have to put the book on the table.
— I have to leave at five.

This structure combines naturally with verbs you already know.

Asking about someone’s obligation

Use qué — what with tener que.

— What do you have to do?

Person A: — What do you have to do?

Person B: — I have to study.

Another example:

Person A: — What do you have to do today?

Person B: — I have to work.

Using tener que with work

— I have to open the file.
— I have to read the message.
— I have to write the address.
— I have to wait here.

These examples use familiar workplace actions from the previous lesson.

Using tener que with study

— I have to read the text.
— I have to listen to the audio.
— I have to write the answer.
— I have to repeat the phrase.

Using hay que for a general obligation

Use hay que + infinitive when the obligation is general and does not name one specific person.

— One has to work / You have to work in general.
— One has to study / You have to study in general.
— One has to wait / You have to wait in general.
— One has to listen / You have to listen in general.

Hay que does not change for different people.

Comparing tener que and hay que

Compare:

— I have to study.
— One has to study / Studying is necessary in general.
— We have to wait.
— One has to wait / Waiting is necessary in general.

General classroom obligations with hay que

— You have to listen.
— You have to read the text.
— You have to write the answer.
— You have to repeat the phrase.

In these examples, the focus is the rule or required action rather than one particular person.

General workplace obligations with hay que

— You have to open the file.
— You have to read the message.
— You have to wait here.
— You have to put the phone on the table.

Using necesitar for a need

Necesitar means to need. It can be followed by a noun or by an infinitive.

— I need water.
— I need a phone.
— I need a medium size.
— I need help.

Here, necesitar is followed by a noun.

Necesitar + infinitive

Use necesitar + infinitive when someone needs to do an action.

— I need to study.
— I need to work.
— I need to wait.
— I need to repeat.
— I need to leave.

The infinitive stays unchanged after necesitar.

Present-tense forms of necesitar

Subject	Spanish	English
yo		I need
tú		you need
él / ella / usted		he / she needs; you need
nosotros / nosotras		we need
vosotros / vosotras		you all need
ellos / ellas / ustedes		they need; you all need

Necesitar is a regular -AR verb.

Asking what someone needs

Use qué — what.

— What do you need?

Person A: — What do you need?

Person B: — I need help.

Another example:

Person A: — What do you need?

Person B: — I need a phone.

Asking what someone needs to do

Use:

— What do you need to do?

Person A: — What do you need to do?

Person B: — I need to study.

Comparing tener que and necesitar

— I have to work.
— I need to work.
— I have to leave at five.
— I need to leave at five.

The situations can sometimes be similar, but the emphasis is different: obligation versus need.

Comparing all three structures

Structure	Basic meaning	Example
tener que + infinitive	personal obligation	— I have to study.
hay que + infinitive	general obligation	— One has to study.
necesitar + infinitive	personal need	— I need to study.

Choosing the right structure

If you are talking about your own required action, use tener que.

— I have to read the message.

If you are stating a general rule or requirement, use hay que.

— You have to read the message.

If you are expressing a need, use necesitar.

— I need to read the message.

Workplace examples

— We have to open the file.
— You have to read the message.
— I need to write the address.
— They have to wait here.

Study examples

— I have to study Spanish.
— You have to listen to the audio.
— I need to repeat the phrase.
— We have to read the text.

Daily-life examples

— I have to make the meal.
— I need water.
— One has to wait.
— I have to leave at six.

A short work conversation

Person A: — What do you have to do today?

Person B: — I have to open the file and read the message.

Person A: — Do you need help?

Person B: — Yes, I need help.

A short study conversation

Person A: — What do you have to do?

Person B: — I have to listen to the audio and write the answer.

Person A: — Do you need to repeat the audio?

Person B: — Yes, I need to repeat the audio.

A short general-rule conversation

Person A: — What has to be done?

Person B: — You have to read the text and write the answer.

For this lesson, treat as a practical question for asking about a general requirement.

Using two obligations in one sentence

You can connect two required actions with y — and.

— I have to work and study.
— We have to read and write.
— You have to listen and repeat.

Using pero with a need and an obligation

You can contrast two ideas with pero — but.

— I have to work, but I need to study too.

This uses only connectors you already know.

Recognizing the infinitive after the structure

After tener que, hay que, or necesitar when it expresses an action need, the next verb stays in the infinitive.

— I have to study.
— One has to study.
— I need to study.

Do not conjugate both verbs in these patterns.

A practical decision method

Use this sequence:

Ask whether the idea is an obligation or a need.
If it is a personal obligation, use the correct form of tener que + infinitive.
If it is a general obligation, use hay que + infinitive.
If it is a need, use necesitar + noun or necesitar + infinitive.
Keep the second verb in the infinitive.

From Needs and Obligations to Ir and Venir

You can now talk about personal obligations with tener que, general obligations with hay que, and needs with necesitar. The next lesson introduces ir and venir for talking about coming and going.