irimasu

I've been trying to look for a way to attach a verb to irimasu, but i almost always only see nouns, for example: atarashi boshi ga irimasu. (i need a new hat).
How would you say things like:
I need to run
I need to eat
I need to drink
or basically any verb....the closest that i found in grammar lessons is things like matana kereba naranain desu (Have to wait) but this is HAVE TO and im looking for NEED TO....
any suggestions?

4mac4,

...the closest that i found in grammar lessons is things like matana kereba naranain desu (Have to wait) but this is HAVE TO and im looking for NEED TO....

That is correct. Other options include using "... hitsuyou ga aru" meaning "it is necessary to", or "-tai desu" meaning "want to".

"...nakereba narimasen" or "...nai to ikemasen" are ways to say "I must/need to." I think that "...nai to ikemasen" is more natural need to do something, while "...nakereba narimasen" *can* be associated with a bit of obligation, though these are only nuance differences.

If you think about it, when you say "I need to run," it is not an obligation that's been imposed on you, but it's something you don't feel comfortable unless you do. In that sense, I might suggest "Hashiranai to ikemasen." Another variation would be to say "I need to run everyday (otherwise I don't feel comfortable)" = "I don't feel comfortable unless I run everyday," which would be: "Mainichi hashiranai to ochitsukimasen." ("ochitsuku" = to feel settled down, to feel comfortable)

"I need to drink (something)" with some *urgency* would be "Nani ka nomanai to ikemasen," but again, you could turn it into (suppose you are talking about a very hot day) "I need to drink something otherwise I feel like I'm going to fall," then it would be "Nani ka nomanai to taoresou desu" (from the verb "taoreru" to fall).
THe same with "I need to eat (something) otherwise..." "Nani ka tabenai to taoresou desu."

At the same time, in casual speech, if you say "Nani ka tabenai to." or "Nani ka nomanai to." (chopping off the "...ikemasen" part), people would know that you urgently need to eat/drink.

Hi there - thank you very much to both of you...I was not aware of the "--nai to ikemasen" form...gotta brush up/get up to speed on casual form. Also, i like the way you can apply the OTHERWISE/UNLESS effect.
Now I do have a follow up question: with both HAVE TO (nakereba naranai) and NEED TO (nai to ikemasen) and also the NEED TO UNLESS--, how do you conjugate these
so for example:
PAST
-had to wait
-needed to wait
-needed to wait otherwise...
NON PAST NEGATIVE
-don't have to wait
-don't need to wait
-don't need to wait otherwise /unless
PAST NEGATIVE
-didn't have to wait
-didn't need to wait
-didn't need to wait, otherwise

Or is it that these terms do not conjugate?

I hope I didn't cause any confusion.

I used the "otherwise/unless..." expression to demonstrate how that "have to/need to" construction is made. "matanai to ikemasen" or "matanakereba narimasen" if taken apart means "it does not go/things do not go well if I don't wait" "it's no go unless I wait" thus "I have to/must wait." That is why there is a "nai" negative form of the verb "matsu" (to wait), "matanai," in that construction. That is the only reason why used that expression.

About the conjugations, since the "need to" and "have to" expressions I gave above are different in nuances only, in the following I am putting the two expressions together.

- have to/need to wait: Matanakereba narimasen or Matanaito ikemasen

- had to/needed to wait: Matanakereba narimasen deshita or Matanaito ikemasen deshita

In the following, different expressions are used depending on what you want to say exactly.

- don't have to/don't need to wait:
(In the sense of giving permission) Matanakute (mo) ii desu (It's OK you don't wait).
(In the sense of "there is no obligation to wait," a plain statement) Matsu hitsuyou wa arimasen (There is no need to wait.)

- didn't have to/didn't need to wait:
(In the sense of giving permission) Matanakute (mo) yokatta desu (It was OK you didn't wait).
(In the sense of "there was no obligation to wait," a matter-of-fact statement) Matsu hitsuyou wa arimasen deshita. (There was no need to wait.)

Thank you AG.
I noticed that you reverted to what Dave in Saitama suggested when you demonstrated the conjugation part ("... hitsuyou ga aru" form). So thank you for showing the different conjugations.

I just had one further clarrification question with regards to the whole "otherwise/unless" issue:
I understand that you used it to illustrate a point about the construction of 'have to/need to" but couldn't you still use the --nai to ikemasen type form to illustrate for example: chotto osake o nomanani to (hayai) nerimasen (i need to drink a little otherwise ill fall asleep (fast)). not sure that I did a good job in translation there but hopefully you'll understand my question...

Thanks again

Ummm, I don't quite understand the question... i need to drink a little otherwise ill fall asleep (fast))
Do you mean, "I should keep from drinking too much otherwise I fall asleep fast?"

"I should keep from drinking too much otherwise I fall asleep fast?" - yes, that's what i meant...or it could be maybe something simpler like: I need to run otherwise I'll be late...
my question is: can the --nai to ikemasen form be applied to those type of sentences (by dropping the ikemasen part and applying a negative conjugation of a verb or adjective.
so basically you gave an example before:
"Mainichi hashiranai to ochitsukimasen." and I'm curious to know if you can change the ochitsukimasen to "I'll become fat" so that the sentence becomes: I need to run everyday otherwise I'll become fat."

I should mention that this is slight deviation from my original question which you already addressed but I just got interested in the example you gave.

"Mainichi hashiranai to ikemasen." (I need to run every day.)

You could also say:
"Mainichi hashiranai to... (If I don't run every day...):

- ochitsukimasen (I don' feel comfortable).
- futotte shimaimasu (I'll get fat).
"Hashiranai to..." (If I don't run...)
- okurete shimaimasu. (I'll be late.)

Thank you very much AG. Your answers are very insightful.

wouldn't the grammar phrase "-nakuchaikemasen" give the same affect?
"yaranakuchaikemasen." I have to do it.
and it's opposite would be "nakutemoiidesu"
"yaranakutemoiidesu." I don't have to do it.

Yes.
"-nakucha ikemasen" comes from "...nakute wa ikemasen," and means the same as "...nai to ikemasen" and "nakereba ikemasen."

With the verb "yaru/yarimasu" meaning "to do" (which is a bit casual way to say it. "suru/shimasu" would be the politer verb)]
"yaranakucha (or "yaranakute wa) ikemasen." I have to do it.
"yaranakute mo ii desu." I don't have to do it.