Devoir means must, need to or have to and is one of the most important verbs for a beginner student to learn. On this page we’ll have a look at its meanings in a series of examples sentences.
Table of Contents
devoir + infinitive = must
When followed by an infinitive it means must and this is the most basic usage of the verb.
- Je dois travailler demain. I have to work tomorrow.
- Nous devons partir avant midi. We must leave before noon.
- Il doit finir cette leçon. He has to finish this lesson.
- Je dois déjeuner à midi. I need to have lunch at noon.
devoir in conditional + infinitive = should
When preceding an infinitive in the conditional tense devoir can translate to should.
- Tu devrais travailler un peu plus. You should work a bit more.
- Ils devraient arriver avant nous. They should arrive before us.
- Elle devrait apprendre le français! She should learn French!
devoir = to owe (money, etc.)
Devoir quelque chose à quelqu’un means to owe somebody something.
- Il doit vingt dollars à son frère. He owes $20 to his brother.
- Tu me dois cinq euros. You owe me 5 €.
devoir = should,
Devoir faire quelque chose in the conditional means bound to do something.
Speed up your learning with an app
Many of our students have greatly enhanced their learning by using an app. On these pages we've examined the top-30 apps for learning French. On this pages we've written comprehensive reviews for Pimsleur (great for people struggling with pronunciation), Rosetta Stone and FrenchPod101 (both great for visual learners).
- Ils jouent si bien. Ils devraient gagner. They’re playing so well. They’re bound to win.
devoir as noun
As a noun, devoir means both duty and homework.
- J’ai le devoir de m’occuper de toi. I have the duty to take care of you.
- Je fais toujours mes devoirs avant la leçon. I always do my homework before the lesson.
passé composé = had to
In the passé composé, j’ai dû+ infinitive means I had to.
- J’ai dû partir à cause de la crise. I had to leave due to crisis.
- Nous avons dû apprendre tous ces verbes! We had to learn all these verbs!
should have usage
In the past conditional, j’aurais dû + infinitive means I should have.
- J’aurais dû commander le filet mignon. I should have ordered the filet mignon.
- Tu aurais dû me le dire! You should have told me!
Related lessons to devoir:
More resources:
If you've found this post useful you might want to considering looking at our post covering the best apps for learning French. We've looked a total 33 apps and have written comprehensive reviews of Rosetta Stone, Pimsleur and FrenchPod101.
- Vouloir Conjugation: Complete Charts To Conjugate “To Want” - May 27, 2022
- 10 Most Famous French Actors Of All Time - May 25, 2022
- 7 Ways To Say What In French + Example Sentences - May 24, 2022
Bonjour! My name is David Issokson. I'm based in Victor, Idaho (near Jackson, Wyoming) and have helped hundreds of students to learn French online since 2013.
