Spanish Phrase
Necesito una grúa. Mi coche no arranca.
Meaning
I need a tow‑truck. My car won’t start. The first sentence is a request for assistance; the second explains why the help is needed.
When to use
Use this pair of sentences when your vehicle breaks down on the road, you’re stuck in a parking lot, or you need to call roadside assistance in a Spanish‑speaking country.
✦Grammar Breakdown
NecesitounagrúaMicochenoarranca
Necesitar (present)
‘Necesito’ is the first‑person singular present of the verb ‘necesitar’ (to need).
Indefinite article
‘una’ agrees in gender and number with the feminine noun ‘grúa’.
Grúa (noun)
Means ‘tow‑truck’ in this context; the accent on the ‘ú’ is mandatory.
Possessive adjective
‘Mi’ is an invariable possessive adjective meaning ‘my’.
Negation
Place ‘no’ directly before the verb to negate it.
Arrancar (present 3rd‑sg)
‘arranca’ is the third‑person singular present of ‘arrancar’ (to start, to fire up).
🗨In Conversation
Necesito una grúa. Mi coche no arranca.
I need a tow‑truck. My car won’t start.
¿Dónde está el coche? Llamaré a una compañía de grúas.
Where is the car? I’ll call a tow‑truck company.
✕Common Mistakes
Necesito una grua.
The word needs an accent on the ‘ú’: ‘grúa’. Without it the word is misspelled and may be read as ‘crane’.
Mi coche no arranco.
‘Arranco’ is first‑person singular; the subject is ‘mi coche’ (third person), so you must use ‘arranca’.
Necesito un grúa.
Do not use the masculine article ‘un’ because ‘grúa’ is feminine.
↔Alternatives
Necesito que me remolquen el coche.
I need my car to be towed.
Mi auto no enciende.
My car won’t start.
¿Podrías llamar a una grúa?
Could you call a tow‑truck?
Cultural Tip
In most Spanish‑speaking countries the service is called ‘grúa’ or ‘asistencia en carretera’. When calling, it’s polite to say ‘por favor’ and give your exact location. In some regions ‘remolque’ is used more often than ‘grúa’ for the service itself.