/deˈβeɾ/
Translation
to have to, to owe, must
Word origin
From Latin debere ('to owe, to be obliged'), itself a contraction of de habere ('to have from'). It supplies both the verb 'to owe, must' and the noun 'duty'.
- Origin
- Latin
- Root
- debere
- English cognates
- debt, debit
Grammar
Conjugation
Regular -er conjugation. Pronouns: yo, tú, él/ella/ud., nos., vos., ellos/uds..
Indicative
| Person | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future | Conditional |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | debo | debí | debía | deberé | debería |
| tú | debes | debiste | debías | deberás | deberías |
| él/ella/ud. | debe | debió | debía | deberá | debería |
| nos. | debemos | debimos | debíamos | deberemos | deberíamos |
| vos. | debéis | debisteis | debíais | deberéis | deberíais |
| ellos/uds. | deben | debieron | debían | deberán | deberían |
Subjunctive
| Person | Present | Imperfect (-ra) | Imperfect (-se) |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | deba | debiera | debiese |
| tú | debas | debieras | debieses |
| él/ella/ud. | deba | debiera | debiese |
| nos. | debamos | debiéramos | debiésemos |
| vos. | debáis | debierais | debieseis |
| ellos/uds. | deban | debieran | debiesen |
Imperative
| Person | Affirmative |
|---|---|
| tú | debe |
| ud. | deba |
| nosotros | debamos |
| vosotros | debed |
| uds. | deban |
Non-finite
- Gerund / present participle
- debiendo
- Past participle
- debido
Examples
.
You must study more if you want to pass the exam.
.
I owe my brother twenty dollars.
.
We should arrive before eight.
.
You must not speak that way about your workmates.
.
The company's success is due to everyone's effort.
.
He must not speak that way in front of the children.
Used in
Stories
(4)Grammar articles
(6)Spanish Advanced Grammar (C1-C2): The Constructions That Sound Native
Conjugating Spanish -er Verbs in the Present Tense
The Future and Conditional of Probability in Spanish (¿Qué hora será?, Serían las tres)
Spanish Politeness: Softening Requests (¿Podría...?, ¿Te importaría...?, quisiera)
Spanish Verbal Periphrases: acabar de, llevar, volver a, seguir + verb
Verbs with Prepositions in Spanish (Regimen Preposicional): the Fixed Verb + Preposition Pairs
Add to review queue
Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.
Go to my review queueThis word is part of lesson 1.