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The difference in content between the sites is summarised in the respective tours:

• ELU: every question about English language and usage
• Learners: every question about learning the English language

In practice, many questions about learning the language are also questions about the language itself.

Now that the Learners site is out of Beta, I think it's time to stop migrating questions there routinely. It may be useful to note the presence of the other site in comments, but if the OP still wants to ask the question here, the question should simply be handled as an ELU question.

Migration of the question should be considered only upon request from the OP.

In the case of the question you mentioned, the core of the question is how native English speakers use (and differentiate) the terms want and need. The dictionary provides a clinical distinction between the two words, but there is a closer-than-suggested historical link as well as typical-usage link between them.

This is an interesting question on its own merits, and ought to be on-topic on both sites.

Added from comments: I sometimes to look at questions a little differently. If the question as presented isn't all that interesting but there's a gem in there somewhere, it's useful to the repository for that gem to be taken out and polished, preferably by the original poster. If the OP refuses, then yes, the right thing to do would be to ask a new question instead of editing the existing one. I wouldn't do it in this case because I already know the answer, but it would otherwise be better (for the repository) than just discarding the whole thing. – Lawrence

EDIT to preserve the following comment:

@deadrat My 'line of approach' is almost always (1) Has OP made the slightest effort to tailor their question to ELU recommendations? If so, (2) Is it still obviously off-topic? Whether or not, (3) Is there an interesting and on-topic point for discussion, either overt or in what may well be the 'question behind the question'? (4) If so, is an edit preferable before an answer? If I reject at the first stage, I will still consider submitting a related question myself. – Edwin Ashworth

The difference in content between the sites is summarised in the respective tours:

• ELU: every question about English language and usage
• Learners: every question about learning the English language

In practice, many questions about learning the language are also questions about the language itself.

Now that the Learners site is out of Beta, I think it's time to stop migrating questions there routinely. It may be useful to note the presence of the other site in comments, but if the OP still wants to ask the question here, the question should simply be handled as an ELU question.

Migration of the question should be considered only upon request from the OP.

In the case of the question you mentioned, the core of the question is how native English speakers use (and differentiate) the terms want and need. The dictionary provides a clinical distinction between the two words, but there is a closer-than-suggested historical link as well as typical-usage link between them.

This is an interesting question on its own merits, and ought to be on-topic on both sites.

Added from comments: I sometimes to look at questions a little differently. If the question as presented isn't all that interesting but there's a gem in there somewhere, it's useful to the repository for that gem to be taken out and polished, preferably by the original poster. If the OP refuses, then yes, the right thing to do would be to ask a new question instead of editing the existing one. I wouldn't do it in this case because I already know the answer, but it would otherwise be better (for the repository) than just discarding the whole thing. – Lawrence

EDIT to preserve the following comment:

@deadrat My 'line of approach' is almost always (1) Has OP made the slightest effort to tailor their question to ELU recommendations? If so, (2) Is it still obviously off-topic? Whether or not, (3) Is there an interesting and on-topic point for discussion, either overt or in what may well be the 'question behind the question'? (4) If so, is an edit preferable before an answer? If I reject at the first stage, I will still consider submitting a related question myself. – Edwin Ashworth

The difference in content between the sites is summarised in the respective tours:

• ELU: every question about English language and usage
• Learners: every question about learning the English language

In practice, many questions about learning the language are also questions about the language itself.

Now that the Learners site is out of Beta, I think it's time to stop migrating questions there routinely. It may be useful to note the presence of the other site in comments, but if the OP still wants to ask the question here, the question should simply be handled as an ELU question.

Migration of the question should be considered only upon request from the OP.

In the case of the question you mentioned, the core of the question is how native English speakers use (and differentiate) the terms want and need. The dictionary provides a clinical distinction between the two words, but there is a closer-than-suggested historical link as well as typical-usage link between them.

This is an interesting question on its own merits, and ought to be on-topic on both sites.

Added from comments: I sometimes to look at questions a little differently. If the question as presented isn't all that interesting but there's a gem in there somewhere, it's useful to the repository for that gem to be taken out and polished, preferably by the original poster. If the OP refuses, then yes, the right thing to do would be to ask a new question instead of editing the existing one. I wouldn't do it in this case because I already know the answer, but it would otherwise be better (for the repository) than just discarding the whole thing. – Lawrence

EDIT to preserve the following comment:

@deadrat My 'line of approach' is almost always (1) Has OP made the slightest effort to tailor their question to ELU recommendations? If so, (2) Is it still obviously off-topic? Whether or not, (3) Is there an interesting and on-topic point for discussion, either overt or in what may well be the 'question behind the question'? (4) If so, is an edit preferable before an answer? If I reject at the first stage, I will still consider submitting a related question myself. – Edwin Ashworth

The difference in content between the sites is summarised in the respective tours:

• ELU: every question about English language and usage
• Learners: every question about learning the English language

In practice, many questions about learning the language are also questions about the language itself.

Now that the Learners site is out of Beta, I think it's time to stop migrating questions there routinely. It may be useful to note the presence of the other site in comments, but if the OP still wants to ask the question here, the question should simply be handled as an ELU question.

Migration of the question should be considered only upon request from the OP.

In the case of the question you mentioned, the core of the question is how native English speakers use (and differentiate) the terms want and need. The dictionary provides a clinical distinction between the two words, but there is a closer-than-suggested historical link as well as typical-usage link between them.

This is an interesting question on its own merits, and ought to be on-topic on both sites.

Added from comments: I sometimes to look at questions a little differently. If the question as presented isn't all that interesting but there's a gem in there somewhere, it's useful to the repository for that gem to be taken out and polished, preferably by the original poster. If the OP refuses, then yes, the right thing to do would be to ask a new question instead of editing the existing one. I wouldn't do it in this case because I already know the answer, but it would otherwise be better (for the repository) than just discarding the whole thing. – Lawrence

EDIT to preserve the following comment:

@deadrat My 'line of approach' is almost always (1) Has OP made the slightest effort to tailor their question to ELU recommendations? If so, (2) Is it still obviously off-topic? Whether or not, (3) Is there an interesting and on-topic point for discussion, either overt or in what may well be the 'question behind the question'? (4) If so, is an edit preferable before an answer? If I reject at the first stage, I will still consider submitting a related question myself. – Edwin Ashworth