Questions & Answers about Ons het inligting nodig.
In Afrikaans nodig hê (“to need”) splits into three parts in a main clause:
- The finite verb (het)
- The object (inligting)
- The adjective complement (nodig)
So the fixed order is Subject–Verb–Object–Complement. Putting nodig earlier (e.g. Ons nodig inligting het) breaks that pattern and sounds wrong.
Moet means “must” or “have to” (obligation). It’s close but not identical to “need.” For pure requirement, nodig hê or the formal verb benodig is preferred.
Example:
– Ons moet inligting hê. (“We must have information.”)
– Ons het inligting nodig. (“We need information.”)
They are synonyms. Benodig is just a single formal verb (a prefix be- plus nodig) used in writing or formal contexts:
– Informal: Ons het inligting nodig.
– Formal: Ons benodig inligting.
Inligting is an uncountable (mass) noun in Afrikaans, like “information” in English. You don’t use ’n or any plural form. If you need to qualify it, you add quantifiers:
– Ons het meer inligting nodig. (“We need more information.”)
– Ons het enige inligting nodig. (“We need any information.”)
Invert the finite verb and subject:
Het ons inligting nodig?
(Verb het + subject ons + object inligting + complement nodig.)
Ons het inligting nodig gehad.
Literally “we had information needed.” The helper gehad puts hê into the past perfect.
Ons sal inligting nodig hê.
You use the future auxiliary sal + object + complement + infinitive hê.