French Word of the Day
devoir
/de-VWAR/ • verb (also a noun) — 2nd of May, 2026
Listen to pronunciation
Meaning: to have to / must; to owe (money). As a noun, 'devoir' means duty or (in plural) homework.
Examples
- Je dois y aller maintenant.
(I have to go now.) - Tu devrais appeler ta mère.
(You should call your mother.) - Il doit être ici à midi.
(He must be here at noon.)
Synonyms
- falloir
- être obligé de
Devoir is used to express obligation or necessity (je dois = I must / I have to). In the conditional (tu devrais) it gives advice ('you should'). It can also indicate probability (Il doit être = he must be). As a noun, devoir (les devoirs) means homework; devoir can also mean duty. For general impersonal necessity, French often uses il faut (from falloir) instead of devoir.
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