tengo que vs. necesito

Question

1. List item

.I need to brush my teeth.

When would I use "Necesito cepillar los dientes' and when would I use 'Tengo que cepillar lose dientes.'

Are those sentence even correct?

1. Would I use los dientes in that expression or mis dientes? .

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

These are basically interchangeable.

I think in Spain you almost always use tener que.

In Latin America, I believe Necesitar is used more (that is, more than in Spain). Tener que might have a higher sense of obligation, like you really must do something, but really, although there are differences they have more in common than not.

Would "Debo cepillar los dientes" be the highest form of obligation? Or perhaps "Dios me exige que..." :) - tomsky, Oct 1, 2011

Answer 2

Would I use los dientes in that expression or mis dientes? .

Los dientes would be correct. Generally, when speaking of body parts, possessive adjectives are not used as they are in English.

Answer 3

Me tengo que cepillar los dientes or tengo que cepillarme los dientes. I think this varies by region even in a small region. I hear tener que most of the time, and I'm in a Texas but surrounded by people of Mexican heritage.

Answer 4

Yes, I learned "los dientes" and yet, I have seen it used as mi/mis (which then confuses me!)

Answer 5

I think there is a distinction in their use, though a subtle one:

• Necesito... = I need to...
• Tengo que... = I have to ...