Learn Spanish (Latin America): Yo necesito una mesa.

Yo necesito una mesa.

I need a table.

Breakdown of Yo necesito una mesa.

Questions & Answers about Yo necesito una mesa.

Why do we use una here instead of un?

In Spanish, every noun has a gender. The word for table, mesa, is feminine (which you can often guess because it ends in -a). The word for 'a' or 'an' has to match this gender, so we use the feminine una instead of the masculine un.

Is the word yo strictly necessary in this sentence?

No, you can just say necesito una mesa. The verb necesito already means 'I need' because of its -o ending. Including yo just adds a little extra emphasis, like saying 'I myself need a table.'

Why does necesito end in an -o?

The -o ending tells us who is doing the action. The dictionary form of the verb is necesitar (to need). When you want to say 'I need', you drop the -ar and add -o, giving you necesito.

What is the difference between saying una mesa and la mesa?

Una mesa means 'a table' (any table, you are not being specific). La mesa means 'the table' (a specific table that you and the listener already know about). The word una is called an indefinite article, which is what you are practicing in this lesson!