# כדאי vs. אמור vs. צריך



## sawyeric1

I've seen both used for "should". So is there any difference in meaning and usage? 

Thanks


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## origumi

התרגום של 'כדאי' במילון מורפיקס


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## slus

אמור is usually translated to "supposed to"
כדאי is closer to "should" (in this context)


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## amikama

אמור is "supposed to".
השעה עשר בלילה, הוא אמור להיות כבר בבית.‏
למה החולצה יצאה ורודה ממכונת הכביסה? זה לא אמור להיות ככה.‏

כדאי is "worth it", used in contexts of recommendation, advice etc.
זה ספר מעולה, כדאי לך לקרוא אותו.‏
הספה הזו עולה הרבה כסף, לא כדאי לקנות אותה.‏


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## sawyeric1

Are כדאי and צריך interchangeable?


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## Drink

sawyeric1 said:


> Are כדאי and צריך interchangeable?



No, כדאי is an adverb that means "worthwhile", and צריך is an adjective that functions like a verb meaning "to need". Totally different.


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## sawyeric1

I find it interesting that people use כדאי even for personal statements, expressing the form of a suggestion to themselves. Ex:

I have no idea what I should do today
אין לי שום רעיון מה כדאי לעשות היום


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## shalom00

Again, that would mean, I have no idea what it is worthwhile for me to do today.
Such as when you have more than one choice and wonder what is the better one.


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## sawyeric1

sawyeric1 said:


> Are כדאי and צריך interchangeable?





Drink said:


> No, כדאי is an adverb that means "worthwhile", and צריך is an adjective that functions like a verb meaning "to need". Totally different.





Flaminius said:


> The most common expression for "You should do something" is _ata tsarikh + infinitive_, where _trarikh_ is an adjective with conjugations; _tsarikh_, _tsrikha_, _tsrikhim_, _tsrikhot_.



EDIT: So כדאי and צריך are not totally different if they can both mean "should"


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## amikama

Drink and Flaminius are right. What is your question?

EDIT:


> So כדאי and צריך are not totally different if they can both mean "should"



Well, yes, in some cases you _could _translate both of them as "should", but it does not necessarily mean they have the same meaning in Hebrew (maybe "should" has several nuances that are expressed differently in Hebrew?). They are quite different, if not totally different.


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## Ali Smith

Another thing worth mentioning is that לא צריך does not mean “You don’t have to...”
It means “You should not...”
For example, לא צריך לעשות ככה means “You should not act this way.”, not “You don’t have to act this way.”


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## shalom00

It depends on context.
For example, if someone asks whether he needs to do something, you can answer, "לא צריך," meaning, "It's not necessary." (You can if you want, but you don't have to. There is no need.)


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## amikama

Ali Smith said:


> לא צריך does not mean “You don’t have to...”


It does, depending on the context. For example:
אתה לא צריך לעשות את זה אם אתה לא רוצה.


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## Ali Smith

Can "אתה צריך" also mean "You should be!"?
Here's the context:

Y: למה אתה מספר לי את זה רק עכשיו?

X: כי לא היה לי נעים. כי התביישתי.

Y: אתה צריך.


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## slus

Yes. It can.


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## Ali Smith

What else can "amur" mean? Can it mean "applies"? For example,

זה גם אמור אליך

The context is that the principal is expelling a group of troublemakers. Three of them get up and leave as soon as the verdict is announced. The fourth lingers in the principal's office. When the principal sees that he think he's exempt from the explosion, he tells him זה גם אמור אליך.

Does he mean "This applies to you too."?

Thanks!


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## slus

Yes, in this context it means "this applies to you too", but literally אמור means "said" in the passive voice. Something like "this thing has been said about you too".


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## Ali Smith

Oh, I see. Thanks, slus! But then shouldn't it have been זה גם אמור לך.? Or would that have meant something else?


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## slus

זה גם אמור אליך - this has been said to you too
A more elegant way to say it could be
זה גם אמור בך
A more natural way could be
זה גם אמור לגביך

אמור לך is not natural.


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