👉 See also: Devoir conjugation chart (with audio and quiz) »
Level B2 (Upper Intermediate)
Updated January 30, 2026 — Lesson written by French teacher David Issokson for students who want to learn French online, with audio recorded by Marie Assel Cambier, a professional voice artist and native French speaker.
Regrets — we all have them. In French, the phrase j’aurais dû means “I should have.” For example: J’aurais dû apprendre le français (I should have learned French). In this lesson, we’ll take a quick look at the grammar behind j’aurais dû, then dive into practical sentences you can use right away.
✅ Meaning
✅ Pronunciation
✅ Example sentences
📘 J’aurais dû meaning & grammar
In French, j’ai dû means “I had to“. This is the passé composé of the verb devoir (must, to have to). When you change j’ai to j’aurais, you move into the past conditional tense. That gives you j’aurais dû, which means “I should have”. To complete the idea, dû must be followed by an infinitive verb:
➞ J’aurais dû acheter. I should have bought.
➞ Je n’aurais pas dû acheter. I shouldn’t have bought.
🎧 J’aurais dû pronunciation
J’aurais dû is pronounced /ʒo.ʁɛ dy/, sounding like zhoh-ray dew.
📝 French and English examples
This first example shows how to express a positive regret — “I should have ….”
J’aurais dû commander le steak. Ça a l’air délicieux !
I should have ordered the steak. It looks delicious!
To express a regret in the negation, place ne… pas around the auxiliary (aurais in this case). So je n’aurais pas dû + infinitive means “I shouldn’t have ….”
Je n’aurais pas dû vendre le vélo !
I shouldn’t have sold the bike!
You can also use this structure to give a reprimand — for example: “You should have …!”
Vous auriez dû me téléphoner plus tôt !
You should have called me earlier!
J’aurais dû makes use of the verb devoir, meaning “must” or “to have to.” It’s one of the core verbs required for eventual fluency.
👉 See also: Devoir conjugation chart with interactive quiz »
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🔗 Related words & expressions
- J’aurais pu — I could have
- J’aurais voulu — I would have wanted / I wish I had
- Il aurait fallu — It would have been necessary / One should have
- Ça aurait été mieux — That would have been better
- J’aurais aimé — I would have liked
- J’aurais préféré — I would have preferred
- Si seulement j’avais… — If only I had…
📚 Related lessons on FrenchLearner!
👉 Devoir conjugation charts (must, to have to) »
👉 French conditional tense »
👉 Past conditional tense »
