How do you say I need in Italian?
Mi serve…
Mi serve is the most common translation of the sentence I need in Italian.
Mi serve…
I need…
Mi serve can either be followed by either an infinitive verb or a noun. For example, you can say…
Mi serve una tua firma in fondo a questo foglio.
I need your signature at the bottom of this document.
Mi serve sapere quanti studenti ci sono nella tua classe.
I need to know how many students are in your class.
Mi serve un nuovo computer. Questo è troppo lento.
I need a new computer. This one is too slow.
Mi serve una pausa dallo studio.
I need a break from studying.
Serve is the third-person singular present tense conjugation of servire, to need. If we had to translate mi serve literally into English, it would be something like “to me it needs”. I need works very differently in Italian than it does in English.
For example, you can say…
Ti serve una mano a sollevare quegli scatoloni?
Do you need help lifting those boxes?
Marta ha deciso di fare tutto da sola. Non le serve aiuto.
Marta has decided to do everything by herself. She doesn’t need any help.
Ci serve un cacciavite per smontare questa libreria.
We need a screwdriver to dismantle this bookshelf.
Ho bisogno di…
Ho bisogno di is another common translation for I need in Italian, but it works a little differently than mi serve. Ho bisogno di literally translates to “I have need of”. Bisogno is a masculine noun and it means “need”, while ho is a conjugation of the verb avere, “to have”.
Ho bisogno di can introduce either an infinitive verb or a noun, just as mi serve.
Ho bisogno di…
I need…
For example, you can hear…
Ho bisogno di una sedia più comoda.
I need a more comfortable chair.
Non ho più bisogno di questo cacciavite.
I don’t need this screwdriver anymore.
Ho bisogno di camminare un po’ e di mangiare qualcosa.
I need to walk a little bit and eat something.
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