Conjugation of deber in Spanish
deberto owe; must, shouldregular
Presente
Actions happening now or habitually.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| yo | debo | |
| tú | debes | |
| él/ella/Ud. | debe | |
| nosotros | debemos | |
| vosotros | debéis | |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | deben |
Pretérito Indefinidosimple past
Completed actions in the past.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| yo | debí | |
| tú | debiste | |
| él/ella/Ud. | debió | |
| nosotros | debimos | |
| vosotros | debisteis | |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | debieron |
Common mistakes in the Pretérito Indefinido
- él/ella/Ud.
debitódebióThe correct preterite third person singular is debió, not *debitó. - nosotros
debitamosdebimosUse debimos for 'we were owed/ had to'; debitamos is not a correct form of deber.
Pretérito Imperfecto
Ongoing or habitual actions in the past.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| yo | debía | |
| tú | debías | |
| él/ella/Ud. | debía | |
| nosotros | debíamos | |
| vosotros | debíais | |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | debían |
Futuro Simplefuture
Actions that will happen.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| yo | deberé | |
| tú | deberás | |
| él/ella/Ud. | deberá | |
| nosotros | deberemos | |
| vosotros | deberéis | |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | deberán |
Condicional Simpleconditional
Actions that would happen under some condition.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| yo | debería | |
| tú | deberías | |
| él/ella/Ud. | debería | |
| nosotros | deberíamos | |
| vosotros | deberíais | |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | deberían |
Subjuntivo Presentepresent subjunctive
Wishes, doubts and possibilities in the present.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| yo | deba | |
| tú | debas | |
| él/ella/Ud. | deba | |
| nosotros | debamos | |
| vosotros | debáis | |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | deban |
Common mistakes in the Subjuntivo Presente
- vosotros
debísdebáisThe correct present subjunctive vosotros form is debáis.
Subjuntivo Imperfectoimperfect subjunctive
Hypothetical or unreal situations in the past.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| yo | debiera | |
| tú | debieras | |
| él/ella/Ud. | debiera | |
| nosotros | debiéramos | |
| vosotros | debierais | |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | debieran |
Imperativoimperative
Commands and requests.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| tú | debe | |
| él/ella/Ud. | deba | |
| nosotros | debamos | |
| vosotros | debed | |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | deban |
Common mistakes in the Imperativo
- vosotros
debesdebedThe affirmative vosotros imperative is debed, not the present tense debes.
Gerundio
The -ing form used for ongoing action.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| yo | debiendo | |
| tú | debiendo | |
| él/ella/Ud. | debiendo | |
| nosotros | debiendo | |
| vosotros | debiendo | |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | debiendo |
Participio Pasadopast participle
The form used in compound tenses and the passive.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| yo | debido | |
| tú | debido | |
| él/ella/Ud. | debido | |
| nosotros | debido | |
| vosotros | debido | |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | debido |
deber — frequently asked questions
Is deber a regular verb?
Yes — deber is a regular Spanish verb, so it follows the standard endings for its group.
What does deber mean?
deber is a Spanish verb meaning "to owe; must, should".