Necesitar is a regular -ar verb in Spanish.
Practice necesitar free →Necesitar means 'to need', and it is a regular -ar verb that is genuinely indispensable for everyday communication. Necesito ayuda (I need help), necesitamos más tiempo (we need more time). The structure necesitar + infinitive expresses what you need to do: necesito estudiar (I need to study). Because expressing needs underpins requests, problems and plans, it is one of the most useful regular verbs to have automatic. As a regular -ar verb there are no irregularities to learn, which makes it a reliable building block for clear, functional Spanish.
Quick facts
Necesitar (to need) is a regular -ar verb.
Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.
Necesito ayuda (I need help).
Necesitar + infinitive: necesito dormir (I need to sleep).
Necesitamos más tiempo (we need more time).
A reliable, fully regular -ar verb.
Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.
Idiomatic expressions
necesitar is a regular -ar verb — it follows the standard -ar pattern in every tense. That makes it a good one to drill: if you know necesitar, you know the template for all regular -ar verbs.
Type conjugations from memory and get instant feedback. That's how you actually build the automatic recall the exam needs — not from reading tables.
Practice necesitar now →Three questions, no account needed. Type the form, then press Enter or tap Check.
yo: necesito, tú: necesitas, él: necesita, nosotros: necesitamos, vosotros: necesitáis, ellos: necesitan
The past participle is necesitado (he necesitado) and the gerund is necesitando (estoy necesitando).
Verbs that are easy to confuse with necesitar or that behave like it.
Necesitar is on the AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary lists. Compare the exam boards.
Written by Daniel Holmes for GCSE & A-Level Spanish students.