Bisognare

Bisognare is an Italian verb that expresses necessity or obligation. It is primarily used as an impersonal verb, meaning it has little or no explicit subject. The core meaning is that something is necessary or required. In practice, Italian speakers usually use the impersonal form bisognа in present tense, and they commonly replace it with other constructions such as ci vuole/ci vogliono or occorre when referring to quantities or time.

The most common present tense form is bisogna, used with an infinitive or with a clause introduced by che. Examples: Bisogna studiare per superare l’esame. Bisogna che tu finisca entro stasera. For plural subjects or quantities, many speakers prefer ci vogliono or servono: Ci vogliono due ore per portare a termine il lavoro. Ci vuole pazienza è un’espressione equivalente orientata alla necessità.

Bisognare is distinct from the personal need expressed with avere bisogno di or avere bisogno di + noun: Ho bisogno di acqua; Mi serve una mano. These forms convey a subject that is specific to the speaker and are more common in everyday speech when referring to personal needs.

Etymology and related terms: the verb is derived from the noun bisognо (need). Related expressions include non c’è bisogno di, meaning “there is no need to,” and occorre, which also denotes necessity. The expression di bisogno utilizzato in formal Italian tends to appear in written or administrative contexts.

In summary, bisognare denotes general necessity and is typically used impersonally with bisognа, while personal need is ordinarily expressed with avere bisogno di or mi serve.