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How to Say ‘To need’ in French

Avoir besoin de

ah-vwahr beh-zwan duh

[ah-vwahr beh-zwan duh]

💬 Usage Tip: French doesn't have a single verb for "need". It says "have need of": J'ai besoin d'aide "I need help".

Phrase Breakdown

Avoir

[ah-vwahr]

to have

Infinitive verb meaning 'to have'; also used as an auxiliary verb in many tenses.

Example

Il faut avoir du courage.

You need to have courage.

besoin

[beh-zwan]

Need

Refers to something that is necessary or required.

Example

J'ai besoin d'aide pour ce projet.

I need help with this project.

de

[duh]

of

Expressing the relationship between part and a whole.

Example

Un verre de lait.

A glass of milk.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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