/də.vwaʁ/
Translation
to have to, must; duty
Word origin
From Latin debere ('to owe, be obliged'), from de- ('from') and habere ('to have'), so originally 'to have from someone'.
- Origin
- Latin
- Root
- debere
- English cognates
- debt, debit, due
Grammar
Conjugation
Regular french-irregular conjugation. Pronouns: je, tu, il/elle, nous, vous, ils/elles.
Indicative
| Person | Present | Imperfect | Past historic | Future | Conditional |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | dois | devais | dus | devrai | devrais |
| tu | dois | devais | dus | devras | devrais |
| il/elle | doit | devait | dut | devra | devrait |
| nous | devons | devions | dûmes | devrons | devrions |
| vous | devez | deviez | dûtes | devrez | devriez |
| ils/elles | doivent | devaient | durent | devront | devraient |
Subjunctive
| Person | Present | Imperfect |
|---|---|---|
| je | doive | dusse |
| tu | doives | dusses |
| il/elle | doive | dût |
| nous | devions | dussions |
| vous | deviez | dussiez |
| ils/elles | doivent | dussent |
Imperative
| Person | Affirmative |
|---|---|
| tu | dois |
| nous | devons |
| vous | devez |
Non-finite
- Gerund / present participle
- devant
- Past participle
- dû · due · dus · dues
Examples
, .
I have to leave now, I am already late.
devoirs .
You must do your homework before going out.
au .
Everyone must take their responsibilities seriously.
devoirs .
You must finish your homework before dinner.
.
We have to leave early to avoid the traffic.
Where this fits
Used in
Stories
(13)Chez le médecin
3 min read · Core 1000
Le bus manqué
3 min read · Core 1000
Le coup de téléphone
3 min read · Core 1000
Le jour du travail
3 min read · Core 1000
Perdu en ville
3 min read · Core 1000
Le bureau de Lucie
4 min read · Core 5000
Le mensonge
4 min read · Core 5000
Un message pour Hélène
4 min read · Core 1000
Un voyage difficile
4 min read · Core 1000
Une rencontre au marché
4 min read · Core 1000
Elle commence à comprendre
5 min read · Core 5000
Quand tu auras fini
5 min read · Core 5000
Si j'avais su
5 min read · Core 5000
Grammar articles
(15)French Conditionnel: Polite Requests, Hypothetical 'Would', and the Same Irregular Stems as the Future
Conjugating French -ir Verbs in the Present Tense
French Verb Conjugation: The Complete Rules with Examples
The French Future Perfect: futur antérieur
French Future Tense: Futur Proche, Futur Simple, and the Irregular Stems
French Imparfait: One Stem, One Set of Endings, One Irregular
French Impersonal Verbs: il y a, il faut, il fait and the Dummy Subject 'il'
Infinitive or Subjunctive: The French Same-Subject Rule
French Irregular Verbs: The Core Set, the -ir Split and the Patterns That Repeat
Passé Composé vs Imparfait: How to Choose Between the Two French Past Tenses
French Passé Composé: avoir or être + Past Participle and the MRS VANDERTRAMP Set
laisser, voir and entendre + Infinitive in French
j'aurais dû, tu aurais pu: French Regrets and Reproaches
The French Present Subjunctive: How to Form It
French Verbs with à, de or Nothing Before an Infinitive
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devoir: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the French word "devoir" (to have to, must; duty): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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