Conjugación de deber The Spanish verb deber translates as “to have to, must”. It is regular: the endings are the standard ones for its type and repeat across other verbs. It is one of the 25 most frequent verbs in this collection.
How to conjugate deber In the presente , deber runs: yo debo, tú debes, él/ella/usted debe, nosotros debemos, vosotros debéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes deben. The endings are regular, so the same pattern applies right across this verb group.
deber in a sentence In a sentence, deber looks like this: Debo terminar este informe hoy. (“I must finish this report today.”). The example shows the context the form turns up in.
Tenses and CEFR levels This page lists 15 tenses and moods of deber , grouped by CEFR level. The presente (A1) is free to practise in Verboteca; Premium opens every tense and mood up to the advanced levels.
FAQ What does “deber” mean in Spanish? deber means “to have to, must”.
Is deber regular or irregular? deber is a regular Spanish verb, so its forms follow the standard endings for its type.
How do you conjugate deber in the presente? yo debo, tú debes, él/ella/usted debe, nosotros debemos, vosotros debéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes deben.
Conjugation tables A1 — Beginner yo debo tú debes él/ella/usted debe nosotros debemos vosotros debéis ellos/ellas/ustedes deben
Debo terminar este informe hoy. · I must finish this report today.
yo he debido tú has debido él/ella/usted ha debido nosotros hemos debido vosotros habéis debido ellos/ellas/ustedes han debido
He debido de olvidar las llaves en casa. · I must have forgotten the keys at home.
A2 — Elementary yo debí tú debiste él/ella/usted debió nosotros debimos vosotros debisteis ellos/ellas/ustedes debieron
Debí haberte escuchado. · I should have listened to you.
yo debía tú debías él/ella/usted debía nosotros debíamos vosotros debíais ellos/ellas/ustedes debían
Debía mucho dinero al banco. · I owed a lot of money to the bank.
yo deberé tú deberás él/ella/usted deberá nosotros deberemos vosotros deberéis ellos/ellas/ustedes deberán
Deberé trabajar todo el fin de semana. · I will have to work all weekend.
tú debe él/ella/usted deba nosotros debamos vosotros debed ellos/ellas/ustedes deban
Debe la cuenta antes de irte. · Owe the bill before you leave.
B1 — Intermediate yo deba tú debas él/ella/usted deba nosotros debamos vosotros debáis ellos/ellas/ustedes deban
No creo que yo deba ir. · I don't think I should go.
yo había debido tú habías debido él/ella/usted había debido nosotros habíamos debido vosotros habíais debido ellos/ellas/ustedes habían debido
Había debido estudiar más para ese examen. · I should have studied more for that exam.
tú no debas él/ella/usted no deba nosotros no debamos vosotros no debáis ellos/ellas/ustedes no deban
No debas dinero a tus amigos. · Don't owe money to your friends.
yo debería tú deberías él/ella/usted debería nosotros deberíamos vosotros deberíais ellos/ellas/ustedes deberían
Debería llamar a mis padres más a menudo. · I should call my parents more often.
B2 — Upper Intermediate yo habré debido tú habrás debido él/ella/usted habrá debido nosotros habremos debido vosotros habréis debido ellos/ellas/ustedes habrán debido
Para entonces, ya habré debido tomar una decisión. · By then, I will have had to make a decision.
yo debiera tú debieras él/ella/usted debiera nosotros debiéramos vosotros debierais ellos/ellas/ustedes debieran
Si yo debiera dinero, lo pagaría. · If I owed money, I would pay it.
yo haya debido tú hayas debido él/ella/usted haya debido nosotros hayamos debido vosotros hayáis debido ellos/ellas/ustedes hayan debido
Ojalá yo haya debido. · I hope I have had to.
yo hubiera debido tú hubieras debido él/ella/usted hubiera debido nosotros hubiéramos debido vosotros hubierais debido ellos/ellas/ustedes hubieran debido
Ojalá yo hubiera debido. · I wish I had had to.
yo habría debido tú habrías debido él/ella/usted habría debido nosotros habríamos debido vosotros habríais debido ellos/ellas/ustedes habrían debido
Habría debido ser más paciente. · I should have been more patient.
Memorize every form of "deber" Verboteca turns each form into a card and brings it back at a growing interval as you keep getting it right.
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