Мне нужно получить справку в отделе кадров до обеда.

I need to get a certificate from the HR department before lunch.

Breakdown of Мне нужно получить справку в отделе кадров до обеда.

• я: I
• в: in
• обед: the lunch
• до: before

Questions & Answers about Мне нужно получить справку в отделе кадров до обеда.

Why does the sentence start with мне and not я?

Because Russian often expresses need with the pattern:

кому + нужно + infinitive

So:

• мне = to me / for me
• нужно = necessary / needed
• получить = to obtain / to get

Literally, Мне нужно получить... is something like:

To me it is necessary to get...

In natural English, that becomes I need to get...

So мне is in the dative case, not the nominative я, because the structure is different from English.

What exactly does нужно mean here?

Нужно means necessary, needed, or one needs to depending on context.

In this sentence, it works as part of the expression:

Мне нужно + infinitive = I need to + verb

Examples:

• Мне нужно идти. = I need to go.
• Нам нужно подождать. = We need to wait.

It is a very common and useful Russian pattern.

Why is the verb получить and not получать?