hacerle falta

Question

my teacher has translated this to " to need" but I don't think it can be translated so easly because to need is also "necesitar". What does hacerle falta and in that case just "hacerle" really mean. How is it used? and what sets it apart from "necesitar"?

Great question! - jayleebee, Oct 23, 2010

Answer 1

And why can't a language have more than one way to express the same idea? Is English so limited in vocabulary that it has only one word to express one idea? Those words with (nearly) identical meaning are called synonyms. "Hacer falta" is generally translated as "to need". Just get used to it; an explanation won't help. Read sentences where the word is used and take it for what it is.

But if you insist, the Spanish dictionary says this about the expression: "No tenerlo cuando sería necesario o provechoso" (not to have something when it is necessary or beneficial)

Great answer! - Rolest, Oct 23, 2010

Answer 2

I agree with Lazarus that the words are synonyms but synonyms also have different connotations and they can't always be used interchangeably. This applys to English and all the other languages I speak fluently (Spanish not being one of them) so it is only logical to infer that in Spanish "hacerle falta" and "necesitar" while they mean the same would have different connotations. and apparently "hacerle falta" has a different connotation as Lazaus "insisted" and it is listed above in his answer.

There are no exact synonyms, that's true. But sometimes definitions or explanations are not good enough when their meaning gets too close. In those cases, the only way to learn how to use them is to see lots of examples. - lazarus1907, Oct 23, 2010

For example, I have seen over 30 professional trustworthy translations with the sentence "hacer falta", and all of them in English were "need(ed". Maybe you wouldn't use this phrase in certain contexts, but it is hard to say for certain. - lazarus1907, Oct 23, 2010

Even if you get a detailed list of situations and connotations, will you be able to recall them all in real time while you are trying to speak? Try if you want, but fluent speakers do not think of grammar while speaking. - lazarus1907, Oct 23, 2010

They know which one to use because they've seen and heard the "right" constructions over and over. I insist that what you need here is tons of examples, not explanations, because I find it very hard to see a significant difference in connotation. - lazarus1907, Oct 23, 2010

A wild guess would be that "necesitar" sounds like something has to be done because there is no other option, and "hacer falta" sounds like something important is missing. Maybe that's what you expected, I don't know, but it is vague and subjective. - lazarus1907, Oct 23, 2010

The best way to learn the usages is to see it being used, I agree, and this applies to any language, but in the beginning when someone like me is starting to learn a new language there's a need to restrain oneself to a set of usages. - preny, Oct 24, 2010

It makes things easier and more explainable for someone such as myself. Therefore the best way to learn a language in my opinion is to learn the colloquial and conversational (like how babies learn to speak) and then move onto the grammar. - preny, Oct 24, 2010

Answer 3

Necesitar is a little more formal. I like "Lo que me hacía falta", just what I needed, which of course is sarcastic in the face of a disaster, an unwelcome arrival, etc.

I disagree. Any unschooled person could easily say "Necesito pantalones nuevos". - lazarus1907, Oct 23, 2010