Inklingo

necesitabas

neh-seh-see-TAH-bahs/ne.se.siˈta.βas/

necesitabas means you needed in Spanish ((past continuous or descriptive)).

you needed, you used to need

Also: you were needing
VerbA2regular ar
A sad child standing barefoot next to a large, muddy puddle. The child is holding out their hand, looking distressed because they need a pair of rain boots to cross the puddle.
infinitivenecesitar
gerundnecesitando
past Participlenecesitado

📝 In Action

¿Qué necesitabas cuando eras niño?

A2

What did you need when you were a child?

Necesitabas un mapa para encontrar la casa, ¿verdad?

B1

You needed a map to find the house, right?

Ella pensó que tú necesitabas más tiempo para decidir.

B2

She thought that you needed more time to decide.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • requerías (you required (imperfect))
  • precisabas (you needed (imperfect))

Common Collocations

  • necesitabas ayudayou needed help
  • necesitabas saberyou needed to know

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustednecesita
yonecesito
necesitas
ellos/ellas/ustedesnecesitan
nosotrosnecesitamos
vosotrosnecesitáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustednecesitaba
yonecesitaba
necesitabas
ellos/ellas/ustedesnecesitaban
nosotrosnecesitábamos
vosotrosnecesitabais

preterite

él/ella/ustednecesitó
yonecesité
necesitaste
ellos/ellas/ustedesnecesitaron
nosotrosnecesitamos
vosotrosnecesitasteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustednecesite
yonecesite
necesites
ellos/ellas/ustedesnecesiten
nosotrosnecesitemos
vosotrosnecesitéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustednecesitara / necesitase
yonecesitara / necesitase
necesitaras / necesitases
ellos/ellas/ustedesnecesitaran / necesitasen
nosotrosnecesitáramos / necesitásemos
vosotrosnecesitarais / necesitaseis

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "necesitabas" in Spanish:

you needed

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: necesitabas

Question 1 of 2

Which English phrase best captures the meaning of 'necesitabas' in the sentence: 'Siempre necesitabas mi ayuda.'

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family
🎵 Rhymes
hablabascantabas
📚 Etymology

The verb 'necesitar' comes from the Latin word 'necessitas,' meaning 'unavoidable necessity' or 'compulsion.' It has always been related to things that are required or essential.

First recorded: Medieval Spanish

Cognates (Related words)

Italian: necessitareFrench: nécessiter

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'necesitabas' used formally or informally?

This form uses the 'tú' conjugation, which is the informal way to address a single person (like a friend or family member). For formal situations, you would use 'necesitaba' (the 'usted' form).

What is the base verb for 'necesitabas'?

The base verb is 'necesitar,' which is a regular '-ar' verb meaning 'to need.'