Collocations for essential - adj.

appear, be, seem
become
It is becoming almost essential for students to have a second language.

remain
make sth
Increased competition makes it essential for the business to innovate.

consider sth, deem sth, find sth, regard sth as, see sth as, think sth
Do you consider these textbooks essential for the course?

really, truly, very (AmE)
absolutely
almost, virtually
fairly
clearly
A printer is clearly essential to such a task.

equally
Diet is crucial; exercise is equally essential.

by no means
Although useful, the accessories are by no means essential.

for
the skills essential for success

to
He believed that some form of religion was essential to human life.

Essential is used with these nouns:
accessory, accompaniment, aid, aspect, attribute, character, characteristic, component, concept, core, detail, difference, dilemma, dimension, distinction, element, equipment, facility, feature, function, guide, ingredient, item, link, maintenance, mineral, nature, need, oil, part, preliminary, prelude, prerequisite, principle, property, protein, quality, reading, reference, repair, requirement, role, service, skill, spirit, step, task, thing, tool, training, truth, unity, vitamin, vocabulary