Es necesario terminar el informe antes de la cena.

It is necessary to finish the report before dinner.

Breakdown of Es necesario terminar el informe antes de la cena.

• ser: to be
• la: the
• el: the
• antes de: before
• terminar: to finish
• la cena: the dinner
• el informe: the report
• necesario: necessary

Questions & Answers about Es necesario terminar el informe antes de la cena.

Why is terminar used in its infinitive form instead of a conjugated form?

In Spanish, when you use an impersonal expression like es necesario, es importante, or es obligatorio, you usually follow it with an infinitive to express what action must be carried out. For example:
• Es necesario comer bien.
• Es importante dormir ocho horas.

Is there a difference between es necesario and hay que to express obligation?

Both express a need or obligation, but:
• Es necesario focuses on the necessity itself and is often less direct (more impersonal).
• Hay que also indicates necessity but feels a bit stronger or more direct, closer to "one must" in English.
Example: Hay que terminar el informe antes de la cena = "The report must be finished before dinner."

Can I use antes de que with a subjunctive here?

You can use antes de que with the subjunctive if there’s a change of subject. For example:
• Quiero que termines el informe antes de que cenemos.
Here, cenemos and termines refer to different subjects. However, in the original sentence (which has the same subject implied), you just need antes de + infinitive: Es necesario terminar el informe antes de la cena.

Could I say completar instead of terminar? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you could say completar. Generally, terminar and completar are close in meaning, but completar emphasizes the idea of finishing something to its full extent, whereas terminar simply means "to finish or end something." In everyday Spanish, terminar is more common.

Is informe masculine or feminine, and does it change if I'm talking about multiple reports?

Informe is masculine: el informe. For the plural, just add -s: los informes.

Why do we say antes de la cena instead of antes la cena?

The preposition de is required before a noun when expressing "before [something]" in time expressions. You’ll see this construction with antes de and después de when followed by nouns or infinitives.

Is the expression Es necesario... formal or can it be used in everyday conversation?

It’s perfectly acceptable in everyday conversation, though it can sound slightly more formal. For everyday speech, you might also hear Hace falta or Hay que.