difference between нужен, надо, нужно

Hi, can someone please explain the difference between нужен, надо, нужно?

I never know exactly which to use when I say things like:

- I need / I don't need / do you need?

- It is not necessary / It is not needed

нужен has to agree, m, f, n, pl. нужно is n. make sense? Mne нужен... Mne нужнo.. etc

Russian idiom has the item needed as the subject, not the person needing it. Person needing it is the dative object мне тебе ему ей нас вас им. нужен agrees with the item, m, f, n pl нужен нужна нужно нужны.

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Originally Posted by Seraph

нужен has to agree, m, f, n, pl. нужно is n. make sense? Mne нужен... Mne нужнo.. etc

Russian idiom has the item needed as the subject, not the person needing it. Person needing it is the dative object мне тебе ему ей нас вас им. нужен agrees with the item, m, f, n pl нужен нужна нужно нужны.

надо more like must as in must do, must proceed, etc.

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ok, makes sense... thanks.

I have been told that мне нужно and мне надо both mean 'I have to' (in English maybe it is more precise to imagine 'it is my obligation to...'). And so far I have been using them interchangeably. They are then followed by the verb signifying the action the dative object (here мне) is obliged to perform.

'Need' is expressed like Мне нужна книга, so -as Seraph said- the book is the subject needed by the object 'me'.

Robin

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Originally Posted by bitpicker

I have been told that мне нужно and мне надо both mean 'I have to' (in English maybe it is more precise to imagine 'it is my obligation to...'). And so far I have been using them interchangeably. They are then followed by the verb signifying the action the dative object (here мне) is obliged to perform.

'Need' is expressed like Мне нужна книга, so -as Seraph said- the book is the subject needed by the object 'me'.

Robin

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I don't know, I'm pretty sure people have been asking me (at least sometimes) if I need plastic bags using надо, although I could be wrong about that... (since my memory pretty much sucks)

Мне надо/нУжно [глагол].
Мне надо/нужно отдохнуть.
Мне надо/нужно добраться до вокзала.

Мне нужен (для муж. рода) / нужнО (для ср. рода) [существительное]
Мне нужен отдых.
Мне нужнО лечение.
Мне нужен вокзал. (в смысле "нужно добраться до вокзала")

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I'm pretty sure people have been asking me (at least sometimes) if I need plastic bags using надо, although I could be wrong about that...

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People do say things like that sometimes, but technically it's wrong.

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Originally Posted by E-learner

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I'm pretty sure people have been asking me (at least sometimes) if I need plastic bags using надо, although I could be wrong about that...

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People do say things like that sometimes, but technically it's wrong.

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ah, perhaps that explains why I get confused :)

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Originally Posted by E-learner

Мне надо/нУжно [глагол].

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Interesting.
Although "Мне нужно яблоки" is incorrect, "Мне нужно два яблока / (не)много яблок" is perfectly ok.

So, I suggest expanding the "rule" by

Мне надо/нУжно [существительное с указанием количества]

Мне нужны яблоки.
Мне надо яблок. (Genitive)

if someone asks me if I need a кулочик (sp?) or пакет in the grocery store, can I just answer "нужен" ?

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Originally Posted by ycomp

if someone asks me if I need a кулочик (sp?) or пакет in the grocery store, can I just answer "нужен" ?

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"кулёчек"="кулёк"

Yes, you can (if this word was in a question).