Breakdown of Нам нужны эти штемпеля.
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
нам
to us
нужен
needed (short form)
штемпель
stamp (rubber stamp, postmark)
Questions & Answers about Нам нужны эти штемпеля.
Why does the plural of штемпель end in -я (штемпеля) instead of the usual -и?
Штемпель is a masculine noun, but it belongs to a special group of words that form their nominative plural with a stressed -а or -я instead of the standard -ы or -и. You might already know other words in this group, like дом becoming дома (houses) or паспорт becoming паспорта (passports).
Why is the sentence starting with Нам instead of the regular pronoun Мы?
Russian does not have a direct verb for "to need." Instead, you use a structure that translates literally to "These stamps are necessary to us." The person who needs the item is put in the Dative case, which is why Мы (we) becomes Нам (to us).
Why does нужны have an -ы at the end here?
The word нужен changes its ending to match the thing that is needed, not the person who needs it. Since the grammatical subject is эти штемпеля (these stamps), which is plural, you must use the plural form нужны.
I usually see "stamp" translated as марка. What is a штемпель?
A марка is a postage stamp that you buy and stick onto an envelope. A штемпель refers to an ink stamp, a rubber stamp, or a postmark (like the ones officials use to stamp your passport or cancel a postage mark).