In Russian, we express needs and obligations using the same impersonal structure used for physical and emotional states. Instead of "I need," the phrasing is closer to "to me, it is necessary."
Expressing Need and Obligation
To say someone needs to do something, use the Dative case for the person, followed by надо or нужно (which are interchangeable), and the infinitive of the action verb.
| Nominative | Dative | Meaning with надо/нужно |
|---|---|---|
| я | мне | I need (to me it is necessary) |
| ты | тебе | you need |
| он / оно | ему | he / it needs |
| она | ей | she needs |
| мы | нам | we need |
| вы | вам | you need (plural/formal) |
| они | им | they need |
Here is how we use them to describe urgent tasks:
| I urgently need to hand in the report. | Мне надо срочно сдать отчёт. |
Change the Dative pronoun to change who needs to do the action:
| He needs to sign this report today. | Ему нужно подписать этот отчёт сегодня. |
Everyday Paperwork
When dealing with documents, you will often need to fill out a form (анкета). Notice how the ending changes to анкету because it is the direct object of the action:
| You urgently need to fill out this form. | Вам нужно срочно заполнить эту анкету. |
Deadlines and Finances
To express managing to do an action on time, chain the verb успеть directly after the modal word, followed by the task. This is useful for strict deadlines, like paying a tax or a fine:
| We need to manage to pay the tax. | Нам надо успеть заплатить налог. |
Turn these statements into questions by placing a question word at the beginning:
| When does she need to pay the fine? On Friday. | Когда ей нужно заплатить штраф? В пятницу. |
| Where do I need to sign this report? | Где мне нужно подписать этот отчёт? |
