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I'm not sure if it's actually grammatically correct at all. However, if it is, would it mean 'when help is needed' or 'when help is necessary' (the usual meaning of 'if need be'). In particular, I've had in mind a dedication "To someone, for support when it was needed", but phrased in a slightly more poetic way. However, I've been second guessing myself.

Thank you.

Jan Gryga
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  • We need to see at least the entire sentence, if not the whole paragraph to be able to answer this. – MikeB Apr 29 '19 at 11:07
  • Hi, thank you for answering. It's kind of the entire sentence ("To >name<, for support when the need be"), it's meant to be a short dedication and a thank you written to someone. Not quite sure how I can add any context to it. – Jan Gryga Apr 29 '19 at 11:15
  • It doesn't sound right. At the very least, the verb tense is off. Fixing that, it should be: To someone, when the need was. But even with that correction, I still find it a bit too odd. – Jason Bassford Apr 29 '19 at 11:37
  • I guess I got carried away. Thank you. – Jan Gryga Apr 29 '19 at 11:42
  • I'm familiar with the saying *Needs must [when the devil drives], and conditional when/if need/needs be, but they're both "fixed forms". Relatively speaking, OP's when the need be* has never really had any currency. – FumbleFingers Apr 29 '19 at 11:43

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