Published March 14, 2024 • Updated July 26, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Je devrais — Meaning and Pronunciation
Je devrais means “I should” in French. It is formed with je (I) + devrais, the first-person singular conditional form of devoir (to have to, must). It is commonly used to give advice or say what someone ought to do. For example: “Je devrais partir” (I should leave).
The IPA pronunciation of je devrais is /ʒə də.vʁɛ/, which sounds approximately like “zhuh duh-vreh.
Example Sentences
Je devrais me coucher un peu plus tôt.
I should go to bed a bit earlier.
Tu devrais essayer d’être plus ponctuel.
You should try to be more punctual.
Tu devrais apprendre tous les verbes irréguliers.
You should learn all the irregular verbs.
Nous devrions étudier le français avant de voyager en France.
We should study French before traveling to France.
See also:
👉 Devoir conjugation in the conditional (with audio) »
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🔗 Related words and expressions
- j’aurais dû — I should have
- devoir — to have to, must
- je dois — I must, I have to
- je devrais — I should
- tu devrais — you should
- il faudrait — one should, it would be necessary
- je ne devrais pas — I shouldn’t
- à ta place, je… — if I were you, I would…
- il vaut mieux — it’s better to
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