need to vs need

I was teaching a lesson the other day and a student said:

I need help my Mom. 

What they meant to say was:

I need to help my Mom.

So today let's look at the difference between need & need to. 

Need

This means that you require something. In Japanese, いる (要る). 

I need more free time.

Do you need a ride?

Do you need any help?

Need to

This is a bit different, need to means that you must do something. 

My Mom said I need to help my brother with his homework.

What do you need to do today?

I need to go to work.

Another more casual way of saying need to is have to:

I have to go to work today.

I have to catch my train = I need to catch my train.

Have a great weekend,

Phil

How do you like being a dentist?

Hi everyone, today's post will look at a useful phrase you can use when talking about someone's job.

How do you like being X?

This is a question you can use when discussing someone's current state such as their job, being a father/mother/grandfather/uncle, in a band, etc.

When you answer you usually use one of two structures: one for positive feelings and one for negative ones.

It's negative adjective. I have to (do something unpleasant).

or

It's positive adjective. I get to (do something pleasant).

In the negative structure, you are forced to do something and so you don't enjoy your situation.

In the positive structure, you are permitted to do something and so you like your situation.

Let's look at some examples:

A: How do you like being married?

B: It's great. I get to be with the love of my life.

-------


A: How do you like being a factory worker?

B: It's so boring. I have to do the same thing all day everyday.

-------

A: How do you like being a doctor.

B: It's tough but rewarding. I get to save lives.

------

A: How do you like being on the basketball team?

B: It's fun. I get to spend a lot of time with my friends.

------

A: How do you like being a freelancer?

B: It's hard. I always have to look for new clients.


Any questions? Have a nice weekend,

Phil

must, have to, got to

Today we'll talk about things that you are obligated to do. You have no choice, you are required to do it. In those situations you can use the following verbs:

Must

This is very formal sounding and isn't really used in casual conversation.

I'm terribly sorry but I must be going.

Have to

This is a fairly standard verb used to talk about obligations.

I'm sorry but I have to go.

In more casual English you would say hafta.

I'm sorry but I hafta go.

I hafta clean my room, it's a real mess right now.

In the past tense, to talk about things you were obliged to do before, use had to.

I had to wear a uniform in high school.

If you want to sound more casual use had TA.

I had TA do my homework when I was a kid or I'd get in trouble.

Got to

Another verb with exactly the same meaning is got to.

I'm sorry but I got to go.

I got to work hard to realize my dreams.

In casual English, we say godda.

I godda call my Mom, it's her birthday today!

I think got to sounds slightly more friendly/casual than have to. It is also only used to talk about current obligations NOT things you had to do in the past.

Well, I godda go. I hafta get ready for work.

See you,

Phil