Spanish verb deber conjugation is quite common and can be used to describe an obligation or an event that is likely to occur. It is most commonly used to express that someone has a debt or is obligated to do something. It is possible to use the phrase deber to indicate that something is very likely to happen. Deber is used to indicate that something should have been done in the preterite.
When used in this way, deber is often similar to the English words “must,” “should,” and “ought.” It is sometimes easier to express obligation by using the conditional form instead of the present tense, although the difference can be hard to translate. The conditional can appear more polite when telling someone what they should do.
With a noun direct object, deber can usually be translated as “owe.” You must refer to a strong likelihood. This is often the equivalent of the English “must” when “must” isn’t used to express obligation.
There is a tendency in some areas, especially in speech, to drop the de in sentences such as those above. Nevertheless, doing so would make the sentences ambiguous and out of context. Hence, while “debias de verme” can mean only “you must have seen me,” “debias verme” can mean either “you must have seen me” or “you ought to have seen me.” In that case, you need to understand the context to make sense of what is being said.
In some regions, you may hear deber to express obligation on occasion. Nevertheless, if you are learning the language, you shouldn’t imitate this usage.
To indicate that something should have been done, deber can be used in the preterite tense, equivalent to the simple past tense in English.
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Infinitive:-}}\) deber
Translation In English: to owe, to must, to should
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Past\ participle:-}}\) debido
Translation In English: owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Gerund:-}}\) debiendo
Translation In English: owing
Indicative Tenses of Deber
Deber Conjugation In The Indicative Present
It refers to events, situations, or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. Facts and truths can also be discussed with this term.
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Yo:-}}\)debo
Translation In English: I owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Tú:-}}\)debes
Translation In English: you owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ella / Él / Usted:-}}\)debe
Translation In English: she/he owe, you (formal) owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Nosotras / Nosotros:-}}\)debemos
Translation In English: we owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Vosotras / Vosotros:-}}\)debéis
Translation In English: you (plural) owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes:-}}\)deben
Translation In English: they owe, you (plural formal) owe
Deber Conjugation In The Indicative Preterite
Traditionally, the Indicative Preterite of deber is used to talk about actions completed at a particular point in time.
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Yo:-}}\)debí
Translation In English: I owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Tú:-}}\)debiste
Translation In English: you owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ella / Él / Usted:-}}\)debió
Translation In English: she/he owed, you (formal) owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Nosotras / Nosotros:-}}\)debimos
Translation In English: we owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Vosotras / Vosotros:-}}\)debisteis
Translation In English: you (plural) owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes:-}}\)debieron
Translation In English: they owed, you (plural formal) owed
Poder Conjugation: Present, Past, Future, Imperfect & Conditional Tenses in Spanish
Deber Conjugation In The Indicative Imperfect
This indicative imperfect describes regular and repeated actions in the past, and descriptions of things you used to do.
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Yo:-}}\)debía
Translation In English: I used to owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Tú:-}}\)debías
Translation In English: you used to owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ella / Él / Usted:-}}\)debía
Translation In English: she/he used to owe, you (formal) used to owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Nosotras / Nosotros:-}}\)debíamos
Translation In English: we used to owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Vosotras / Vosotros:-}}\)debíais
Translation In English: you (plural) used to owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes:-}}\)debían
Translation In English: they used to owe, you (plural formal) used to owe
Deber Conjugation In The Indicative Present Continuous
Whenever something is continuous or happening right now, we use the Indicative Present Continuous of duty.
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Yo:-}}\)estoy debiendo
Translation In English: I am owing
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Tú:-}}\)estás debiendo
Translation In English: you are owing
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ella / Él / Usted:-}}\)está debiendo
Translation In English: she/he is owing, you (formal) are owing
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Nosotras / Nosotros:-}}\)estamos debiendo
Translation In English: we are owing
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Vosotras / Vosotros:-}}\)estáis debiendo
Translation In English: you (plural) are owing
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes:-}}\)están debiendo
Translation In English: they are owing, you (plural formal) are owing
Deber Conjugation In The Indicative Informal Future
This form of deber is used to describe something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future.
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Yo:-}}\)voy a deber
Translation In English: I am going to owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Tú:-}}\)vas a deber
Translation In English: you are going to owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ella / Él / Usted:-}}\)va a deber
Translation In English: she/he is going to owe, you (formal) are going to owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Nosotras / Nosotros:-}}\)vamos a deber
Translation In English: we are going to owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Vosotras / Vosotros:-}}\)vais a deber
Translation In English: you (plural) are going to owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes:-}}\)van a deber
Translation In English: they are going to owe, you (plural formal) are going to owe
Present Participles in Spanish: Principles, Examples & More
Deber Conjugation In The Indicative Future
An Indicative Future of deber talks about something that will happen in the future.
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Yo:-}}\)deberé
Translation In English: I will owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Tú:-}}\)deberás
Translation In English: you will owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ella / Él / Usted:-}}\)deberá
Translation In English: she/he will owe, you (formal) will owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Nosotras / Nosotros:-}}\)deberemos
Translation In English: we will owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Vosotras / Vosotros:-}}\)deberéis
Translation In English: you (plural) will owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes:-}}\)deberán
Translation In English: they will owe, you (plural formal) will owe
Deber Conjugation In The Indicative Conditional
The Indicative Conditional of Deber refers to things that may happen in the future, hypotheses and probabilities.
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Yo:-}}\)debería
Translation In English: I would owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Tú:-}}\)deberías
Translation In English: you would owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ella / Él / Usted:-}}\)debería
Translation In English: she/he would owe, you (formal) would owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Nosotras / Nosotros:-}}\)deberíamos
Translation In English: we would owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Vosotras / Vosotros:-}}\)deberíais
Translation In English: you (plural) would owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes:-}}\)deberían
Translation In English: they would owe, you (plural formal) would owe
Deber Conjugation In The Indicative Present Perfect
Using the Indicative Present Perfect of deber describes activities that began recently (in the past) and are occurring now or things that have just been done.
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Yo:-}}\)he debido
Translation In English: I have owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Tú:-}}\)has debido
Translation In English: you have owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ella / Él / Usted:-}}\)ha debido
Translation In English: she/he has owed, you (formal) have owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Nosotras / Nosotros:-}}\)hemos debido
Translation In English: we have owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Vosotras / Vosotros:-}}\)habéis debido
Translation In English: you (plural) have owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes:-}}\)han debido
Translation In English: they have owed, you (plural formal) have owed
Deber Conjugation In The Indicative Past Perfect
Indicative Past Perfect is used to talk about actions that occurred before the current action.
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Yo:-}}\)había debido
Translation In English: I had owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Tú:-}}\)habías debido
Translation In English: you had owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ella / Él / Usted:-}}\)había debido
Translation In English: she/he had owed, you (formal) had owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Nosotras / Nosotros:-}}\)habíamos debido
Translation In English: we had owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Vosotras / Vosotros:-}}\)habíais debido
Translation In English: you (plural) had owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes:-}}\)habían debido
Translation In English: they had owed, you (plural formal) had owed
Tener- “to be”: Spanish Verb Conjugation In Present, Past, Future Tenses
Deber In The Indicative Future Perfect
Deber uses the Indicative Future Perfect to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already taken place.
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Yo:-}}\)habré debido
Translation In English: I will have owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Tú:-}}\)habrás debido
Translation In English: you will have owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ella / Él / Usted:-}}\)habrá debido
Translation In English: she/he will have owed, you (formal) will have owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Nosotras / Nosotros:-}}\)habremos debido
Translation In English: we will have owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Vosotras / Vosotros:-}}\)habréis debido
Translation In English: you (plural) will have owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes:-}}\)habrán debido
Translation In English: they will have owed, you (plural formal) will have owed
Deber In The Indicative Conditional Perfect
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of Deber is used to talk about something that would have happened in the future but did not because of another action.
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Yo:-}}\)habría debido
Translation In English: I would have owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Tú:-}}\)habrías debido
Translation In English: you would have owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ella / Él / Usted:-}}\)habría debido
Translation In English: she/he would have owed, you (formal) would have owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Nosotras / Nosotros:-}}\)habríamos debido
Translation In English: we would have owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Vosotras / Vosotros:-}}\)habríais debido
Translation In English: you (plural) would have owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes:-}}\)habrían debido
Translation In English: they would have owed, you (plural formal) would have owed
Subjunctive Tenses of Deber
Deber Conjugation In The Subjunctive Present
A subjunctive present is used to describe uncertain situations or emotions, such as wishes, desires, and hopes. Due to the uncertainty of the events being discussed, it differs from the indicative mood.
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Yo:-}}\)deba
Translation In English: I owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Tú:-}}\)debas
Translation In English: you owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ella / Él / Usted:-}}\)deba
Translation In English: she/he owe, you (formal) owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Nosotras / Nosotros:-}}\)debamos
Translation In English: we owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Vosotras / Vosotros:-}}\)debáis
Translation In English: you (plural) owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes:-}}\)deban
Translation In English: they owe, you (plural formal) owe
Deber Conjugation In The Subjunctive Imperfect
It is used to describe unlikely or uncertain past events or to express an opinion (emotional) about them.
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Yo:-}}\)debiera
Translation In English: I owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Tú:-}}\)debieras
Translation In English: you owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ella / Él / Usted:-}}\)debiera
Translation In English: she/he owed, you (formal) owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Nosotras / Nosotros:-}}\)debiéramos
Translation In English: we owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Vosotras / Vosotros:-}}\)debierais
Translation In English: you (plural) owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes:-}}\)debieran
Translation In English: they owed, you (plural formal) owed
Deber In The Subjunctive Future
In the Subjunctive Future, hypothetical situations and future actions/events can be discussed.
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Yo:-}}\)debiere
Translation In English: I will owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Tú:-}}\)debieres
Translation In English: you will owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ella / Él / Usted:-}}\)debiere
Translation In English: she/he will owe, you (formal) will owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Nosotras / Nosotros:-}}\)debiéremos
Translation In English: we will owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Vosotras / Vosotros:-}}\)debiereis
Translation In English: you (plural) will owe
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes:-}}\)debieren
Translation In English: they will owe, you (plural formal) will owe
Conjugation Of Tocar Verb (Preterite, Subjunctive & Imperfect Tenses) In Spanish
Deber Conjugation In The Subjunctive Present Perfect
When describing past actions or events that are still relevant to the present day or when describing an action that will take place in the future, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is used.
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Yo:-}}\)haya debido
Translation In English: I have owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Tú:-}}\)hayas debido
Translation In English: you have owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ella / Él / Usted:-}}\)haya debido
Translation In English: she/he has owed, you (formal) have owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Nosotras / Nosotros:-}}\)hayamos debido
Translation In English: we have owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Vosotras / Vosotros:-}}\)hayáis debido
Translation In English: you (plural) have owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes:-}}\)hayan debido
Translation In English: they have owed, you (plural formal) have owed
Deber Conjugation In The Subjunctive Past Perfect
Subjunctive Past Perfect refers to hypothetical situations and actions/events that took place before other actions/events.
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Yo:-}}\)hubiera debido
Translation In English: I had owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Tú:-}}\)hubieras debido
Translation In English: you had owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ella / Él / Usted:-}}\)hubiera debido
Translation In English: she/he had owed, you (formal) had owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Nosotras / Nosotros:-}}\)hubiéramos debido
Translation In English: we had owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Vosotras / Vosotros:-}}\)hubierais debido
Translation In English: you (plural) had owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes:-}}\)hubieran debido
Translation In English: they had owed, you (plural formal) had owed
Deber In The Subjunctive Future Perfect
In the Subjunctive Future Perfect, something will have happened if a hypothetical situation occurs in the future.
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Yo:-}}\)hubiere debido
Translation In English: I will have owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Tú:-}}\)hubieres debido
Translation In English: you will have owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ella / Él / Usted:-}}\)hubiere debido
Translation In English: she/he will have owed, you (formal) will have owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Nosotras / Nosotros:-}}\)hubiéremos debido
Translation In English: we will have owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Vosotras / Vosotros:-}}\)hubiereis debido
Translation In English: you (plural) will have owed
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes:-}}\)hubieren debido
Translation In English: they will have owed, you (plural formal) will have owed
How To Use Irse Verb Conjugation (Preterite, Subjuntive) In Spanish?
Imperative Tenses of Deber
Deber Conjugation In The Imperative Affirmative
Imperative Affirmatives are used to give orders and commands to others.
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Tú:-}}\)debe
Translation In English: (to you) owe!
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ella / Él / Usted:-}}\)deba
Translation In English: (to you formal) owe!
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Nosotras / Nosotros:-}}\)debamos
Translation In English: let’s owe!
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Vosotras / Vosotros:-}}\)debed
Translation In English: (to you plural) owe!
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes:-}}\)deban
Translation In English: (to you plural formal) owe!
Deber Conjugation In The Imperative Negative
An Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something.
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Tú:-}}\)no debas
Translation In English: (to you) don’t owe!
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ella / Él / Usted:-}}\)no deba
Translation In English: (to you formal) don’t owe!
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Nosotras / Nosotros:-}}\)no debamos
Translation In English: let’s not owe!
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Vosotras / Vosotros:-}}\)no debáis
Translation In English: (to you plural) don’t owe!
\(\mathbf{\color{red}{Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes:-}}\)no deban
Translation In English: (to you plural formal) don’t owe!
Repetir Conjugation – Definition & Preterite
FAQs
What is the verb deber?
The everyday verb deber is most often used to express that someone has a debt or is obligated to do something. The phrase deber de can be used to indicate that something is highly probable. In the preterite, deber is used to indicate that something should have been done.
Is Deber an irregular verb?
Deber is a completely regular verb.
Is deber a reflexive verb?
The reflexive pronoun can either be placed before the verbs ‘poder’ or ‘deber’ or it can be added to the infinitive reflexive verb.
How do you use deber infinitive?
In Spanish, DEBER + Infinitive is used to express obligation, responsibility, or necessity.