man reikia
Needing with Reikia
Lithuanian says it is needed to me: Man reikia (I need). Then comes an infinitive, Man reikia eiti (I need to go), or a noun in the genitive, Man reikia pagalbos (I need help).
How It Works
A verb without a subject
Reikia comes from reikėti, a verb that has no subject. The person who needs something is in the dative, just as with Man patinka and Man šalta.
- man (to me), tau (to you), jam (to him), jai (to her)
- mums (to us), jums (to you, polite or plural), jiems / joms (to them)
- a noun in the dative: Broliui reikia naujo telefono. (My brother needs a new phone.)
Needing to do something
Add an infinitive in -ti or reflexive -tis: Man reikia eiti. (I need to go.) Mums reikia nupirkti duonos. (We need to buy bread.) The infinitive keeps its own object. See The Infinitive in -ti.
Needing a thing
The thing you need is in the genitive, never the accusative: pagalba → pagalbos, laikas → laiko, pinigai → pinigų. The question is Ko tau reikia? (What do you need?), with ko, the genitive of kas.
Past and negative
- Past: Man reikėjo pagalbos. (I needed help.)
- Negative: Man nereikia pinigų. (I don't need money.) The noun stays in the genitive.
- With no person at all, reikia means one needs to or we should: Reikia eiti. (We need to go.)
To say that you must do something because of a duty or a plan, Lithuanian also uses turėti with an infinitive.
Examples (6)
- Man reikia pagalbos.
I need help.
Word by Word: To-me is-needed of-help.
pagalba becomes pagalbos, the genitive.
- Ko tau reikia?
What do you need?
Word by Word: Of-what to-you is-needed?
ko is the genitive of kas, because the thing needed is in the genitive.
- Man jau reikia eiti.
I need to go now.
Word by Word: To-me already is-needed to-go.
reikia with an infinitive means need to do something.
- Mums reikia nupirkti duonos.
We need to buy some bread.
Word by Word: To-us is-needed to-buy of-bread.
duonos is the genitive of duona and means some bread.
- Vakar man reikėjo daug laiko.
Yesterday I needed a lot of time.
Word by Word: Yesterday to-me was-needed much of-time.
reikėjo is the past of reikia.
- Ačiū, man nieko nereikia.
Thanks, I don't need anything.
Word by Word: Thanks, to-me nothing not-is-needed.
nieko is the genitive of niekas, and the verb is negated with ne-.
Common Mistakes
Using the nominative aš with reikia.
Aš reikia pagalbos.Man reikia pagalbos.Reikia has no subject. The person who needs goes in the dative: man, tau, jam, jai.
Putting the needed thing in the accusative.
Man reikia pagalbą.Man reikia pagalbos.What you need is in the genitive: pagalbos, laiko, pinigų. Only the object of an infinitive keeps the accusative, as in Man reikia nupirkti bilietą.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Reikia expresses a need with a dative person and a genitive thing or infinitive action.
Related Patterns
- man patinkaLiking with Patikti
Another dative construction where the person is not the subject.
Level 1 - Dative With State Words
The dative for how someone feels, built the same way.
Level 2 - norėti + genitiveWanting Things with Norėti
Noriu also takes the genitive for the thing wanted.
Level 1 - turėti + infinitiveMust with Turėti
Another way to say you must or have to do something.
Level 2 - man trūkstaLacking with Trūkti
A later dative verb for lacking something.
Level 4
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice man reikia in Bubblegum
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