Level B2 (Upper Intermediate)
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, then dive into practical sentences you can use right away.
✅ Meaning
✅ Pronunciation
✅ Example sentences
✅ Related Words & Expressions
✅ Related lessons
📘 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. 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. The ʒ is the soft “zh” in measure, aurais takes an open è, and dû rhymes with tu (you) with rounded lips.
📝 French and English examples
J’aurais dû – I should have
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!
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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…
🚀 Boost your French even further
Now that you’ve mastered j’aurais dû, explore my lessons on the conditional and past conditional — a bit advanced, but useful for speaking fluently.
