Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Necesito imprimir el documento hoy.

Spanish doesn’t use a separate word like “to” before the infinitive; the idea of “to” is already built into the infinitive form (imprimir, comer, hablar, etc.).

Why is there no yo? Shouldn’t it be Yo necesito imprimir el documento hoy?

Spanish usually drops the subject pronoun (like yo) because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

Necesito = I need
Necesitas = you need
Necesita = he/she/it/you (formal) need(s)

So Necesito imprimir el documento hoy is the normal, natural way to say it.
You only add yo for emphasis or contrast, e.g. Yo necesito imprimir el documento (pero tú no).

Why is it el documento and not just documento without el, or un documento?

Spanish almost always uses an article (definite or indefinite) with singular countable nouns.

el documento = the document (a specific one, both speaker and listener know which)
un documento = a document (not a specific one)

In this sentence, using el documento suggests you and the listener know which document you’re talking about (for example, the report for work).
If you said Necesito imprimir un documento hoy, it would sound like any document, not one in particular.

Can I say Necesito imprimirlo hoy instead of Necesito imprimir el documento hoy? Where does lo go?

Yes, if the context makes it clear that lo refers to el documento, you can say:

Necesito imprimirlo hoy.

With a single conjugated verb (necesito), the direct object pronoun (lo) goes before the verb or attached to the infinitive:

Lo necesito imprimir hoy. ✅ (correct, but less common)
Necesito imprimirlo hoy. ✅ (very natural)
Necesito lo imprimir hoy. ❌ (incorrect)

The most natural in everyday speech is Necesito imprimirlo hoy.

Can hoy go at the beginning or in the middle of the sentence? For example, Hoy necesito imprimir el documento?

Yes, hoy is flexible:

Necesito imprimir el documento hoy. (very common)
Hoy necesito imprimir el documento. (also very common)
Necesito hoy imprimir el documento. (possible, but sounds a bit more marked/emphatic)

The meaning is the same; changing the position mostly changes the rhythm or emphasis. Starting with Hoy emphasizes today.

Is necesito exactly “I need”, or could it mean something like “I have to” or “I must”?

Literally, necesito = I need. In practice, Necesito imprimir el documento hoy often functions like:

I need to print the document today.
I have to print the document today.

If you want to emphasize obligation even more, Spanish often uses:

Tengo que imprimir el documento hoy. = I have to print the document today.
Debo imprimir el documento hoy. = I must / I ought to print the document today.

But necesito + infinitive is very common and natural for “I need to…”.

What tense is necesito, and can it refer to the future?

Necesito is the present indicative, 1st person singular of necesitar.

Necesito imprimir el documento hoy. = I need to print the document today.

Even though it’s present tense, like in English, it often refers to a need related to the near future (later today in this case).
If you really wanted a future form, you could say Necesitaré imprimir el documento mañana (I will need to print the document tomorrow), but the present is much more common for practical, near-future needs.

How do I pronounce Necesito in Spain? Is the c like an “s” or “th”?

In most of Spain (with distinción), Necesito is pronounced roughly:

Ne-ce-si-to = /ne-θe-ˈsi-to/

The c before e is like the English “th” in think:

ce → /θe/

The s in -si- is like the English s in see.
In Latin America, both c (before e, i) and s sound like s, but in Spain you’ll usually hear that “th” sound for c in nece-.

Is imprimir a regular verb? How would I conjugate it?

For most forms, imprimir is a regular -ir verb:

yo imprimo
tú imprimes
él/ella/usted imprime
nosotros imprimimos
vosotros imprimís
ellos/ellas/ustedes imprimen

The only special detail is the past participle: both are accepted:

impreso (more common in Spain: he impreso el documento)
imprimido (also correct, more common in some varieties)

But for simple present, like in your sentence, it behaves completely regularly.

Could I say Tengo que imprimir el documento hoy instead? Is there any difference from Necesito imprimir el documento hoy?

Yes, Tengo que imprimir el documento hoy is perfectly correct.

Nuance:

Necesito imprimir el documento hoy.
Focus on need (from your point of view or circumstances).
Tengo que imprimir el documento hoy.
Focus on obligation / having to (like “I have to / I must”).

In everyday conversation, both are very common and often interchangeable.