Learn Hardcore Hebrew: הוא צריך לקנות קפה עכשיו.

Hebrew usually does not use a present-tense form of to be in sentences like this, and it also does not need a helping verb like English does.

So הוא צריך does not literally match English word-for-word. Hebrew simply says he need/necessary, and natural English becomes he needs to or he has to.

What exactly is צריך here? Is it a normal verb?

In this kind of sentence, צריך functions like a modal-style word meaning needs to / has to.

For learners, the easiest pattern to remember is:

צריך + infinitive

So:

הוא צריך לקנות = he needs to buy

A useful thing to know is that צריך behaves differently from a normal English verb:

it changes for gender and number
it does not show person clearly by itself

Forms:

צריך — masculine singular
צריכה — feminine singular
צריכים — masculine plural / mixed plural
צריכות — feminine plural

Why is הוא included? Could the sentence just be צריך לקנות קפה עכשיו?

Yes, Hebrew can sometimes leave out the subject if the context is obvious, but here הוא is very helpful because צריך by itself does not tell you the person.

For example, צריך could mean:

I need if the speaker is male
you need if speaking to one male
he needs

So הוא makes it clear that the subject is he.

Why is לקנות used here, and what does the ל־ mean?

After צריך, Hebrew normally uses the infinitive form of the next verb.

So:

לקנות = to buy

The prefix ל־ is usually the equivalent of English to in infinitives.

So the structure is:

צריך לקנות = need to buy

Also, לקנות is the infinitive of קנה (he bought / to buy).

Why is the infinitive לקנות and not something like לקנה?

Because Hebrew infinitives are formed according to verb patterns, not by simply adding one fixed ending.

The verb קנה belongs to a group where the infinitive is:

לִקְנוֹת

This is a normal pattern for many verbs whose dictionary form ends in ־ה.

So this is not irregular in a random way; it follows a common Hebrew pattern.

Why is there no את before קפה?

Because את is used only before a definite direct object.

Here, קפה is indefinite:

coffee
some coffee
a coffee, depending on context

So you say:

לקנות קפה

But if you meant a specific coffee already known to both speaker and listener, you would say:

לקנות את הקפה

Does קפה here mean coffee in general, or a cup of coffee?

It can be somewhat flexible, depending on context.

In this sentence, קפה most naturally means:

coffee as a thing/substance
or some coffee
or even a coffee in casual everyday usage

If you want to be more explicit, you could say:

כוס קפה — a cup of coffee

But in real Hebrew, just קפה is very common and natural.

Can עכשיו go somewhere else in the sentence?

Yes. Hebrew word order is more flexible than English word order.

The original sentence is a very natural neutral order:

הוא צריך לקנות קפה עכשיו

But you could also say:

עכשיו הוא צריך לקנות קפה
הוא צריך עכשיו לקנות קפה

These versions shift the emphasis a little:

putting עכשיו first can emphasize right now
putting it before לקנות can emphasize the timing of the action

The original version is a good standard pattern for learners.

How would the sentence change for she or they?

You change צריך so that it agrees with the subject.

Examples:

היא צריכה לקנות קפה עכשיו — she needs to buy coffee now
הם צריכים לקנות קפה עכשיו — they need to buy coffee now
הן צריכות לקנות קפה עכשיו — they need to buy coffee now (all female)

This agreement is very important in Hebrew.

How would I say this in the past or future?

Common forms are:

Present: הוא צריך לקנות קפה עכשיו — he needs to buy coffee now
Past: הוא היה צריך לקנות קפה — he needed to / had to buy coffee
Future: הוא יצטרך לקנות קפה — he will need to buy coffee

So instead of keeping צריך unchanged in all tenses, Hebrew uses different structures.

Is צריך as strong as English must?

Usually צריך is best understood as needs to or has to.

It can sometimes feel strong, but it is often less forceful than must. A stronger word is:

חייב — must / absolutely has to

So:

הוא צריך לקנות קפה = he needs to buy coffee / he has to buy coffee
הוא חייב לקנות קפה = he must buy coffee

The exact strength depends on context, but this is a useful general distinction.