Behöva

Behöva is a Swedish verb meaning “to need” or “to be necessary.” It is commonly used as a semi-modal auxiliary, followed by the infinitive of another verb, as in Jag behöver hjälpa dig (I need to help you). It expresses necessity or requirement and is often milder than the stronger obligation conveyed by måste. The noun form behov means “need.”

Conjugation and forms are irregular. Infinitive: att behöva. Present: behöver. Past: behövde. Supine (used with have/har to form perfect tenses): behövt. Examples: Jag behöver, du behöver, han behöver; Jag behövde, hon behövde. Jag har behövt mer tid. Det är vanligt att säga Jag har behövt det, eller Jag behövde inte göra det i past tense.

Usage notes and constructions: Negation is formed as behöva inte. Exempel: Jag behöver inte göra det. The phrase det behövs is an impersonal present tense meaning “it is needed” or “more is needed.” Past impersonal form is det behövdes. Behöva is often used to express practical necessity, while måste conveys a stronger obligation or external requirement. In daily Swedish, behöva tends to reflect circumstances or personal requirement rather than external rules.

Related terms and nuance: behoven i plural is rarely used as a separate noun; behov denotes need itself. The verb behaves like a semi-modal, interacting with tense through compound forms (har behövt, hade behövt) and existing alongside more absolute expressions of obligation.