What does bisogna mean in Italian?
In Italian, there are several ways to say need or talk about what needs doing but the simplest one is using the word bisogna.
For example, your roommate might say:
Bisogna comprare il pane.
One needs to buy bread.
Bisogna is a remnant of the verb bisognare, which is no longer used except in its impersonal form.
How to use bisogna?
One of the ways to express the meaning of need or be necessary in Italian is to use the verb bisognare.
This verb is exclusively used as an impersonal verb which means it does not need a grammatical subject, and therefore only the third person singular is used.
Additionally, the most common verb tense used is the present (presente indicativo). But other simples tenses are used too such as:
- Present (presente indicativo): bisogna
Bisogna fare silenzio al cinema durante il film.
It is necessary to be quiet in the cinema during the movie.
- Simple future (futuro semplice): bisognerà
Questo parcheggio adesso è gratis, ma da giugno bisognerà pagare 1 euro all’ora.
Parking here is free now but starting from June people will need to pay 1 euro per hour for parking.
- Imperfect (imperfetto): bisognava
Prima della diffusione dei telefonini, bisognava ricordarsi molti numeri di telefono a memoria.
Before mobile phones became common, you needed to remember several phone numbers by heart.
- Present conditional (condizionale presente): bisognerebbe
Non sono sicuro. Bisognerebbe chiedere al manager.
I’m not sure. You would need to ask the manager.
When to use bisogna?
Let’s look at some sentences to see when it’s suitable to use the verb bisogna.
- To express a need or an obligation for some action to be performed when there is no subject. It refers to a general rule or something that applies to everyone.
In this case, bisogna is followed by a verb in the infinitive form.
Bisogna fare silenzio al cinema durante il film.
It is necessary to be quiet in the cinema during the movie.
Bisogna essere molto pazienti con i bambini.
You need to be patient when dealing with kids.
Bisogna abituarsi alle nuove circostanze.
It is necessary to get used to the new circumstances.
- To express a need or an obligation for some action to be performed when a subject is determined.
In this case, bisogna is followed by che + subjunctive.
Bisogna che gli studenti si impegnino di più.
It is necessary that the students work harder.
Bisogna che tu te ne vada subito.
It is necessary that you leave immediately. Or you need to leave immediately.
Bisogna che Luca si abitui alle nuove circostanze.
Luca needs to get used to the new circumstances.
4 Responses
I think this lesson could mention the usage of ‘aver bisogno di + sostantivo/infinito’ –> in which case the ‘avere’ can be conjugated with any person:
Ho bisogno di fare una passeggiata.
Forza, hai bisogno di riposare.
Questa signorina ha bisogno di riposare.
Ecc.
Ciao @donaldbell09@gmail.com!
Avere bisogno di is not mentioned in this lesson because we have a whole grammar note dedicated to it. You can find it here.
Happy reading!
According to word.reference.com, all the 3rd person forms are listed except the imperative, but I imagine their use might be extremely rare.
Yes! For the 3rd person, you use the infamous subjunctive. 🙂
It’s covered in the advanced lessons.