How do you say I need in French?

J'ai besoin de, literally I have need of. The complement always follows de: j'ai besoin d'aide, j'ai besoin de dormir, j'ai besoin de toi. There is no single-word verb for to need in ordinary French, though nécessiter exists in formal writing.

Is it j'ai besoin d'argent or j'ai besoin de l'argent?

J'ai besoin d'argent for money in general, because the partitive du, de la, and des cannot survive after de. J'ai besoin de l'argent works only when you mean a specific sum already under discussion, as in j'ai besoin de l'argent que tu me dois.

What's the difference between avoir besoin de and il faut?

Avoir besoin de puts the need inside a person: j'ai besoin de repos. Il faut states an external requirement: il faut se reposer. The negatives diverge sharply: tu n'as pas besoin de venir means you needn't, while il ne faut pas venir means you mustn't.

How do you say I need it?

J'en ai besoin. Because the thing needed sits behind de, the pronoun that replaces it is en, and en goes in front of the verb. For a person, keep de and use a stressed pronoun: j'ai besoin de lui, j'ai besoin d'elle.

Why is it j'ai besoin que tu viennes and not que tu viens?

Because avoir besoin que describes something wanted rather than reported, and French marks that with the subjunctive. The same happens after vouloir que and il faut que: je veux que tu viennes, il faut que tu viennes.

French grammar · Beginner

Avoir Besoin De: How to Say You Need Something in French

Written by Camille Laurent, Lead French Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

French has no everyday verb meaning to need. Instead it says avoir besoin de, literally to have need of, so the verb you conjugate is avoir and the complement always follows de: j'ai besoin d'aide, tu as besoin de dormir. That de also decides what happens to the article after it.

J'ai besoin d'un peu de temps pour réfléchir.

I need a little time to think.

What it is

Besoin is a noun, not a verb. That single fact explains everything about this expression: you conjugate avoir in front of it, you keep de behind it, and you treat the whole thing as have need of rather than need. Once the structure is fixed in your ear, the rest is article management.

J'ai besoin de repos, tu as besoin de vacances, ils ont besoin d'aide. — I need rest, you need a holiday, they need help.

How to spot it

The frame never changes: a form of avoir, then besoin, then de. What varies is only what comes after de — a noun, an infinitive, a pronoun, or a whole clause.

Elle a besoin de calme. — She needs peace and quiet. (+ noun)
Nous avons besoin de partir tôt. — We need to leave early. (+ infinitive)
J'en ai besoin. — I need it. (+ pronoun en)
Il a besoin que tu l'aides. — He needs you to help him. (+ clause)

De elides to d' before a vowel or a mute h, which is why you hear j'ai besoin d'argent and j'ai besoin d'aide far more often than the full form.

Avoir Besoin De Quick Reference

What follows de, and what happens to the article

Structure	When you use it	Example
besoin de + noun	a thing, an idea, a person	J'ai besoin de repos. — I need rest.
besoin d' + vowel	de elides	J'ai besoin d'aide. — I need help.
besoin d'un / d'une	one countable item	J'ai besoin d'une clé. — I need a key.
besoin du / de la / des	a specific, known thing	J'ai besoin du rapport. — I need the report.
besoin de (no article)	an uncountable quantity	J'ai besoin d'argent. — I need money.
besoin de + infinitive	an action you need to do	J'ai besoin de dormir. — I need to sleep.
besoin que + subjunctive	an action someone else must do	J'ai besoin que tu viennes. — I need you to come.

Common Avoir Besoin De Examples in French

The expression in the situations you will use it in:

Needing a Thing

J'ai besoin d'un nouveau téléphone.: I need a new phone.
Elle a besoin de silence pour travailler.: She needs silence to work.
Nous avons besoin de plus de temps.: We need more time.
Tu as besoin de vacances.: You need a holiday.

Uncountable things take de with no article at all: de temps, d'argent, de repos, de silence.

Needing to Do Something

J'ai besoin de réfléchir un peu.: I need to think a bit.
Il a besoin de parler à quelqu'un.: He needs to talk to someone.
On a besoin de sortir ce soir.: We need to get out this evening.
Elle a besoin de se reposer.: She needs to rest.

The infinitive follows de directly. There is no second preposition, so besoin pour dormir is never right.

Needing a Person, or Someone to Act

J'ai besoin de toi.: I need you.
Les enfants ont besoin de leurs parents.: Children need their parents.
J'ai besoin que tu m'aides.: I need you to help me.
On a besoin qu'elle soit là demain.: We need her to be there tomorrow.

With a person, de is followed by a stressed pronoun: de moi, de toi, de lui, d'elle, de nous, de vous, d'eux.

Saying You Don't Need It

Je n'ai pas besoin d'aide, merci.: I don't need help, thanks.
Tu n'as pas besoin de venir.: You don't need to come.
Elle n'en a pas besoin.: She doesn't need it.
Pas besoin de crier.: No need to shout.

Pas besoin de, with no avoir at all, is very common in speech: pas besoin de t'inquiéter.

How Avoir Besoin De Works

Five points, and the third one is where most of the written errors live.

Besoin Is a Noun, So You Conjugate Avoir

There is no verb besoiner. The person who needs something is the subject of avoir, and besoin itself never changes form, singular or plural.

Nous avons besoin de vous.

We need you.

avoir + besoin, never je besoin.

The De Is Not Optional

Because besoin is a noun, whatever you need has to be attached to it with de, exactly as in the English phrase in need of. Dropping it leaves two nouns side by side with nothing joining them.

Il a besoin de conseils.

He needs advice.

besoin + de + everything.

Partitive Articles Disappear After De

Du, de la, and des cannot follow de, so they simply drop out: j'ai besoin d'argent, not de l'argent. Definite articles stay when you mean one particular thing, and then de contracts with them: du rapport, de la clé, des documents.

J'ai besoin de pain, et aussi du pain que tu as acheté.

I need bread, and also the bread you bought.

General → de alone. Specific → du, de la, des.

En Replaces a Thing, a Stressed Pronoun a Person

Because the complement sits behind de, it becomes en when it is a thing: j'en ai besoin. When it is a person, de stays and takes a stressed pronoun: j'ai besoin de lui.

Ce livre ? J'en ai besoin. Mon frère ? J'ai besoin de lui.

That book? I need it. My brother? I need him.

Thing → en. Person → de + moi, toi, lui.

Avoir Besoin Que Takes the Subjunctive

When the action has to be performed by somebody else, you need a full clause, and the verb in it goes into the subjunctive because the action is wanted rather than real.

J'ai besoin que tu sois là.

I need you to be there.

besoin que + subjonctif.

Common Mistakes with Avoir Besoin De

Incorrect: Je besoin d'aide. — I need help.

Correct: J'ai besoin d'aide. — I need help.

Besoin is a noun and cannot be conjugated. The sentence needs a verb, and that verb is avoir.

Incorrect: J'ai besoin de l'argent pour vivre. — I need money to live.

Correct: J'ai besoin d'argent pour vivre. — I need money to live.

Money in general is uncountable, so the partitive drops out after de. De l'argent would refer to one particular sum you both already know about.

Incorrect: J'ai besoin pour dormir. — I need to sleep.

Correct: J'ai besoin de dormir. — I need to sleep.

The de belongs to besoin and cannot be replaced by another preposition. Pour would express purpose, which is a different idea entirely.

Incorrect: J'ai besoin que tu viens. — I need you to come.

Correct: J'ai besoin que tu viennes. — I need you to come.

Avoir besoin que expresses something wanted rather than something factual, so the verb in the que clause goes into the subjunctive: viennes, sois, fasses, puisses.

Besoin in Other Structures

The noun besoin appears in several patterns that have nothing to do with the full avoir besoin de frame.

Avoir besoin que + subjunctive

When you need somebody else to do something, French cannot use an infinitive. It switches to que plus a subjunctive verb.

J'ai besoin que tu m'écoutes.: I need you to listen to me.
Elle a besoin qu'on la rassure.: She needs to be reassured.
Nous avons besoin que ce soit fini vendredi.: We need it to be finished by Friday.

If the subject is the same on both sides, go back to the infinitive: j'ai besoin de me reposer, not que je me repose.

Short forms in speech

Several fixed phrases drop the verb entirely. They are fully standard and very frequent in conversation.

Pas besoin de t'inquiéter.: No need to worry.
Si besoin, appelle-moi.: If necessary, call me.
Au besoin, on changera de plan.: If need be, we'll change the plan.
Ils sont dans le besoin.: They're in need.

Au besoin and si besoin both mean if necessary; si besoin est is the fuller written version.

Besoin as a countable noun

Outside the expression, un besoin is simply a need, and it behaves like any other noun, with plurals and adjectives.

Ce produit répond à un vrai besoin.: This product meets a real need.
Les besoins des enfants sont différents.: Children's needs are different.
Il subvient aux besoins de sa famille.: He provides for his family.

Répondre à un besoin and subvenir aux besoins de both take à, because the preposition belongs to the verb rather than to besoin.

Avoir Besoin De FAQs

How do you say I need in French?: J'ai besoin de, literally I have need of. The complement always follows de: j'ai besoin d'aide, j'ai besoin de dormir, j'ai besoin de toi. There is no single-word verb for to need in ordinary French, though nécessiter exists in formal writing.
Is it j'ai besoin d'argent or j'ai besoin de l'argent?: J'ai besoin d'argent for money in general, because the partitive du, de la, and des cannot survive after de. J'ai besoin de l'argent works only when you mean a specific sum already under discussion, as in j'ai besoin de l'argent que tu me dois.
What's the difference between avoir besoin de and il faut?: Avoir besoin de puts the need inside a person: j'ai besoin de repos. Il faut states an external requirement: il faut se reposer. The negatives diverge sharply: tu n'as pas besoin de venir means you needn't, while il ne faut pas venir means you mustn't.
How do you say I need it?: J'en ai besoin. Because the thing needed sits behind de, the pronoun that replaces it is en, and en goes in front of the verb. For a person, keep de and use a stressed pronoun: j'ai besoin de lui, j'ai besoin d'elle.
Why is it j'ai besoin que tu viennes and not que tu viens?: Because avoir besoin que describes something wanted rather than reported, and French marks that with the subjunctive. The same happens after vouloir que and il faut que: je veux que tu viennes, il faut que tu viennes.