behøves

Behøves is a Danish verb meaning to need or to be necessary. In modern Danish it is mainly used in impersonal constructions to express necessity or requirement, often without specifying a subject. The form can appear as det behøves or der behøves, indicating that something is required. It may govern an infinitive clause, as in det behøves at fortsætte (it is necessary to continue) or det behøves at undersøges nærmere (it is necessary to investigate further). The construction tends to be more common in written or formal Danish, while everyday speech frequently uses alternative expressions such as det er nødvendigt or det kræves.

Conjugation and forms: the infinitive is at behøve. Present tense forms include jeg behøver, du behøver, han/hun behøver, vi behøver, I behøver, de behøver. Past tense forms include jeg behøvede, du behøvede, han/hun behøvede, vi behøvede, I behøvede, de behøvede. The perfect tense uses har behøvet, with behøvet as the past participle. The present impersonal forms are det behøves and der behøves.

Etymology and cognates: behøve is cognate with the Norwegian behøve and the Swedish behöva, reflecting shared Scandinavian roots. The word is traced to older Danish forms and has parallels in neighboring languages, where the verb serves a similar function of indicating necessity.

Usage notes: behøve expresses a softer or more formal sense of necessity than synonyms like kræves or er nødvendigt. It is often preferred in official, legal, or editorial Danish. In many contexts, particularly spoken Danish, speakers may replace it with mere direct equivalents such as der er behov for or det kræves.

See also: behov, nødvendighed, kræves.