# להצטרך  versus  צריך



## yeled

Hi, I'm not sure when to use  צריך

and when to use the reflexive (heetpa'il?)  ?
Usually, I would say, "Ani zareech" --- when is it appropriate to use להצטרך

?

Do you use both in all tenses? Does one convey a mood that the other doesn't? Thanks for any help anyone can provide.

Cheers.


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## scriptum

Hi Yeled,

In the present tense, only צריך is possible.
In the future, only יצטרך is possible.
Thus, the difference between the two exists only in the past.
הוא היה צריך לבחור _he was in a need to choose_ (we do not know whether he actually chose smth);
הוא הצטרך לבחור _he had to choose_ (and actually did so)

Cheers


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## yeled

That's incredibly helpful -- thanks!


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## amikama

scriptum said:


> In the future, only יצטרך is possible.


But יהיה צריך does exist as well.
הוא יהיה צריך לבחור
הוא יצטרך לבחור

As a native speaker I find it hard to explain the difference in the future as well as in the past.


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## scriptum

amikama said:


> But יהיה צריך does exist as well.
> הוא יהיה צריך לבחור
> הוא יצטרך לבחור


I apologize for my mistake. Amikama is right, יהיה צריך exists.
But I must confess that I never heard the phrase הוא יהיה צריך לבחור. It sounds rather strange to my ears. If it exists, I guess it must be pretty rare.
According to my experience, יהיה צריך is used when צריך is impersonal.
יהיה צריך לבחור = it will be necessary to choose
הוא יצטרך לבחור = he will have to choose.
Amikama, do you use both הוא יצטרך and הוא יהיה צריך indiscriminately?


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## cfu507

I also say צריך in present and יצטרך or הצטרך in future or past, respectively. I don't think there is someone on this planet who says מצטרך in present. 

Also, when I talk about my self in past tense I usualy say נאלצתי or היתי צריכה instead of הצטרכתי. For eaxample:

אני צריכה ללכת לסופר לקנות לקנות שתי עגבניות
הצטרכתי ללכת לסופר לקנות שתי עגבניות
איפה הית? היתי צריכה ללכת לסופר לקנות שתי עגבניות 
לא נותרו לי עגבניות במקרר, אז נאלצתי לוותר על השקשוקה


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## amikama

scriptum said:


> Amikama, do you use both הוא יצטרך and הוא יהיה צריך indiscriminately?


I feel that there is a slight difference between the nuances of הוא יצטרך and הוא יהיה צריך. The difference is quite subtle, so I'm not sure how to explain it. Right now I can't think of an example where הוא יהיה צריך can't be replaced by הוא יצטרך or vice versa.


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## amikama

cfu507 said:


> הצטרכתי ללכת לסופר לקנות שתי עגבניות


Why ? It looks fine for me.


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## cfu507

I don't know... maybe it is just me. That's why I wrote "when I talk" and not "when we talk".


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## אדם

מה על...

הוא היה צריך ללכת לבית שלו, אבל לא היה אוטו.
הוא הצטרך ללכת לבית שלו, אז הוא נהג באוטו שלו.
​
Would those sentences work? I'm trying to say:

"He needed to go to his house, but he didn't have a car."
"He needed to go to his house, so he drove his car."

I used the different sentence structures, because it seems like people are saying הוא היה צריך implies that "he needed (to do something", but he didn't necessarily do it. Whereas הוא הצטרך means that "he needed (to do something)", and he actually did it. Am I correct?


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## cfu507

יהיה צריך and יצטרך mean will need / will have to


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## אדם

Oh, sorry about that. I fixed the tense in the post, are they correct now?


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## cfu507

They are both correct. It doesn't matter whether you say הצטרך or היה צריך.


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## sawyeric1

Is the infinitive, להצטרך, used?


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## sawyeric1

scriptum said:


> הוא היה צריך לבחור _he was in a need to choose_ (we do not know whether he actually chose smth);
> הוא הצטרך לבחור _he had to choose_ (and actually did so)



Also, when do you say someone had to do something, but didn't actually do it?


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