ELONIO
Log inSign up

Oggi ho bisogno di una macchina.

Oggi ho bisogno di una macchina.
I need a car today.
From Lesson 24:Idiomatic avere (avere fame, avere anni)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Oggi ho bisogno di una macchina.

Why does this sentence use ho (I have) instead of a verb for "to need"?
In Italian, you do not usually say "I need" as a single verb. Instead, you use the expression avere bisogno di, which literally translates to "to have need of". Since ho is the "I" form of avere (to have), ho bisogno means "I have need" or "I need".
Why is there a di after bisogno?
The complete expression is avere bisogno di (to have need of). Whenever you specify what you need, you must connect it with the preposition di (of). So, ho bisogno di una macchina literally means "I have need of a car".
Why is there no word for "I" in this sentence?
In Italian, the subject pronoun (like io for "I") is usually dropped because the verb itself already tells you who is doing the action. Ho can only mean "I have", so saying io ho is not necessary unless you want to add special emphasis.
Does oggi have to be at the beginning of the sentence?
Not necessarily. You could also say Ho bisogno di una macchina oggi. However, putting time words like oggi (today) at the beginning is very common in Italian and naturally emphasizes exactly when you need the car.

Learn Oggi ho bisogno di una macchina and more in Italian

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Italian →