Also means
essential
Usage Note
Nécessaire has the same form for masculine and feminine. As a noun, le nécessaire means 'the necessary' or 'what is needed' — faire le nécessaire ('to do what's needed') is an extremely common phrase in formal and professional French. Il est nécessaire de + infinitive is the standard impersonal construction ('it is necessary to').
Examples
"Il est nécessaire de partir tôt."
Natural Translation
It is necessary to leave early.

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