"Du behøver batterier."

Translation: You need batteries.

[Filip781914]

Does this sentence refer to the mechanical husband?

[geometry667721]

I had it right after the "Er du en maskine?" sentence :)

[_Origamian_]

In the translation for 'behøver' it said 'needing, so I wrote 'You are needing batteries', it then said I was wrong saying that it should have read, 'you are REQUIRING batteries', I think maybe a tolerance for this translation should be included.

[awefulwaffle]

orfeocookie is correct. In English, stative (non-continuous) verbs are not usually used in continuous tenses such as the present continuous. Some verbs are stative or dynamic/active, depending upon context.

"To like" and "to need" are stative verbs because they express a state, not an action. Therefore, we say "I like" and "I need" in the simple present. We don't say "I am liking" or "I am needing" in the present continuous.

• I like batteries, NOT I am liking batteries
• You need batteries, NOT You are needing batteries

This is a useful summary of stative verbs grouped by concept:

• Verbs that show thought - believe, doubt, know, understand, recognize, prefer, suppose, suspect, (dis)agree, (dis)approve
• Verbs that show possession - have, own, want, contain
• Verbs that show senses - hear, see, smell, feel, appear, seem, resemble
• Verbs that show emotion - like, love, hate, want, need, desire, wish

Main sources:

• http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/verbstative.html
• https://www.espressoenglish.net/stative-verbs-action-verbs-and-verbs-that-are-both/

[orfeocookie]

In my opinion that wouldn't be correct English. Just because it could be translated "needing" in some sentences, doesn't mean that it works in this sentence.

[D0NNAN]

It should be 'du har brug for batterier' because 'behøver' is more like 'not necessarily'

[FLchick]

For the husband who is a machine

[e_kat_e]

I need sleep

[Heithr]

Jeg bruger ikke batterier. Jeg fungerer fint uten dem.