Ella VerbsHow to conjugate Deber in Spanish
To owe, to must, to should Regular ER Verb Top 100
At a glance: Deber (to owe, to must, to should) is one of the most common regular -ER verbs in Spanish. In the present tense: debo, debes, debe, debemos, debéis, deben. Because it is fully regular, its endings apply directly to hundreds of other -ER verbs.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Indicative tenses of Deber
- Deber in the Indicative Present
- Deber in the Indicative Preterite
- Deber in the Indicative Imperfect
- Deber in the Indicative Present Continuous
- Deber in the Indicative Informal Future
- Deber in the Indicative Future
- Deber in the Indicative Conditional
- Deber in the Indicative Present Perfect
- Deber in the Indicative Past Perfect
- Deber in the Indicative Future Perfect
- Deber in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
- Subjunctive tenses of Deber
- Imperative tenses of Deber
- Example sentences and usage
- Frequently asked questions
- Downloadable cheat sheet (PDF)
- Practice Deber conjugations (free mobile app)
Introduction
Deber is the Spanish verb meaning "to owe, to must or to should". It can be used to describe owing money to someone, or to express obligation. For example: I should go to the store, I must do my homework before dinner, I have to make my bed every morning, and I ought to help them clean. It is also commonly used to make a suggestion, for example: "No deberíamos fumar" (We shouldn't smoke).
Similar verbs to deber include: tener que (to have to).
| Item | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | deber | to owe, to must, to should |
| Past participle | debido | owed |
| Gerund | debiendo | owing |
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Play nowIndicative Tenses of Deber
Deber in the Indicative Present
The Indicative Present of deber is used to talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths. For example, "debo dinero", meaning "I owe money".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | debo | I owe |
| Tú | debes | you owe |
| Ella / Él / Usted | debe | s/he owes |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | debemos | we owe |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | debéis | you (plural) owe |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | deben | they owe |
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Deber in the Indicative Preterite
The Indicative Preterite of deber is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, "debí dinero", meaning "I owed money".
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | debí | I owed |
| Tú | debiste | you owed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | debió | s/he owed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | debimos | we owed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | debisteis | you (plural) owed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | debieron | they owed |
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Deber in the Indicative Imperfect
The Indicative Imperfect of deber is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, "debía dinero", meaning "I used to owe money".
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | debía | I used to owe |
| Tú | debías | you used to owe |
| Ella / Él / Usted | debía | s/he used to owe |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | debíamos | we used to owe |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | debíais | you (plural) used to owe |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | debían | they used to owe |
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Deber in the Indicative Present Continuous
The Indicative Present Continuous of deber is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, "estoy debiendo dinero", meaning "I am owing money".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy debiendo | I am owing |
| Tú | estás debiendo | you are owing |
| Ella / Él / Usted | está debiendo | s/he is owing |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos debiendo | we are owing |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis debiendo | you (plural) are owing |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están debiendo | they are owing |
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Deber in the Indicative Informal Future
The Indicative Informal Future of deber is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, "voy a deber dinero", meaning "I am going to owe money".
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a deber | I am going to owe |
| Tú | vas a deber | you are going to owe |
| Ella / Él / Usted | va a deber | s/he is going to owe |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | vamos a deber | we are going to owe |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | vais a deber | you (plural) are going to owe |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | van a deber | they are going to owe |
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Deber in the Indicative Future
The Indicative Future of deber is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, "deberé dinero", meaning "I will owe money".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | deberé | I will owe |
| Tú | deberás | you will owe |
| Ella / Él / Usted | deberá | s/he will owe |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | deberemos | we will owe |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | deberéis | you (plural) will owe |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | deberán | they will owe |
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Deber in the Indicative Conditional
The Indicative Conditional of deber is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, "debería dinero", meaning "I would owe money".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | debería | I would owe |
| Tú | deberías | you would owe |
| Ella / Él / Usted | debería | s/he would owe |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | deberíamos | we would owe |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | deberíais | you (plural) would owe |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | deberían | they would owe |
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Deber in the Indicative Present Perfect
The Indicative Present Perfect of deber is used to describe actions that started recently (in the past) and are still happening now or things that have been done recently. For example, "he debido dinero", meaning "I have owed money".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he debido | I have owed |
| Tú | has debido | you have owed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | ha debido | s/he has owed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos debido | we have owed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis debido | you (plural) have owed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han debido | they have owed |
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Deber in the Indicative Past Perfect
The Indicative Past Perfect of deber is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, "había debido dinero", meaning "I had owed money".
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había debido | I had owed |
| Tú | habías debido | you had owed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | había debido | s/he had owed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habíamos debido | we had owed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habíais debido | you (plural) had owed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habían debido | they had owed |
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Deber in the Indicative Future Perfect
The Indicative Future Perfect of deber is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, "habré debido dinero", meaning "I will have owed money".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habré debido | I will have owed |
| Tú | habrás debido | you will have owed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habrá debido | s/he will have owed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habremos debido | we will have owed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habréis debido | you (plural) will have owed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrán debido | they will have owed |
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Deber in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of deber is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, "habría debido dinero", meaning "I would have owed money".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habría debido | I would have owed |
| Tú | habrías debido | you would have owed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habría debido | s/he would have owed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habríamos debido | we would have owed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habríais debido | you (plural) would have owed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrían debido | they would have owed |
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Play nowSubjunctive Tenses of Deber
Deber in the Subjunctive Present
The Subjunctive Present is used to talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about. For example, "deba", meaning "I owe".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | deba | I owe |
| Tú | debas | you owe |
| Ella / Él / Usted | deba | s/he owes |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | debamos | we owe |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | debáis | you (plural) owe |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | deban | they owe |
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Deber in the Subjunctive Imperfect
The Subjunctive Imperfect is used to speak about unlikely or uncertain events in the past or to cast an opinion (emotional) about something that happened in the past. For example, "debiera", meaning "I owed".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | debiera | I owed |
| Tú | debieras | you owed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | debiera | s/he owed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | debiéramos | we owed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | debierais | you (plural) owed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | debieran | they owed |
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Deber in the Subjunctive Future
The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. For example, "debiere", meaning "I will owe".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | debiere | I will owe |
| Tú | debieres | you will owe |
| Ella / Él / Usted | debiere | s/he will owe |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | debiéremos | we will owe |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | debiereis | you (plural) will owe |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | debieren | they will owe |
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Deber in the Subjunctive Present Perfect
The Subjunctive Present Perfect is used to describe past actions or events that are still connected to the present day and to speak about an action that will have happened by a certain time in the future. For example, "haya debido", meaning "I have owed".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya debido | I have owed |
| Tú | hayas debido | you have owed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | haya debido | s/he has owed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos debido | we have owed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis debido | you (plural) have owed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan debido | they have owed |
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Deber in the Subjunctive Past Perfect
The Subjunctive Past Perfect is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that occurred before other actions/events in the past. For example, "hubiera debido", meaning "I had owed".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiera debido | I had owed |
| Tú | hubieras debido | you had owed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiera debido | s/he had owed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéramos debido | we had owed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubierais debido | you (plural) had owed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieran debido | they had owed |
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Deber in the Subjunctive Future Perfect
The Subjunctive Future Perfect is used to speak about something that will have happened if a hypothetical situations occurs in the future. For example, "hubiere debido", meaning "I will have owed".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiere debido | I will have owed |
| Tú | hubieres debido | you will have owed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiere debido | s/he will have owed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéremos debido | we will have owed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubiereis debido | you (plural) will have owed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieren debido | they will have owed |
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Play nowImperative Tenses of Deber
Deber in the Imperative Affirmative
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, "deba", meaning "(to you formal) owe!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | debe | (to you) owe! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | deba | (to you formal) owe! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | debamos | let's owe! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | debed | (to you plural) owe! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | deban | (to you plural formal) owe! |
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Deber in the Imperative Negative
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, "no deba", meaning "(to you formal) don't owe!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no debas | (to you) don't owe! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no deba | (to you formal) don't owe! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no debamos | let's not owe! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no debáis | (to you plural) don't owe! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no deban | (to you plural formal) don't owe! |
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Example sentences and usage
- No debí desconectarme del sitio. I shouldn't have logged off.
- Debemos aprender a vivir juntos como hermanos, o pereceremos juntos como tontos. We must learn to live together as brothers, or we will perish together as fools.
- Debo admitir que ronco... I must admit that I snore.
- Nosotros debemos aprender a encarar virtuosamente la adversidad. We must learn to meet adversity gracefully.
- Debiste de haber rechazado una propuesta tan injusta. You should have refused such an unfair proposal.
- La gente debería entender que el mundo está cambiando. People should understand that the world is changing.
- ¡Debes ayudarla, y pronto! You must help her, and soon!
- Debes irte de una vez a casa. You must go home at once.
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Frequently asked questions about Deber
Is deber a regular or irregular verb?
Deber is a fully regular -ER verb. It follows the standard -ER conjugation pattern in every tense and mood without any stem changes, spelling changes, or irregular forms. This makes it a model verb for learning the -ER conjugation system.
How do you conjugate deber in the present tense (presente)?
In the present tense (presente), deber is conjugated as: yo debo, tú debes, él/ella/usted debe, nosotros debemos, vosotros debéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes deben. The present tense is used To talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths.
How do you conjugate deber in the preterite (pretérito indefinido)?
In the preterite (pretérito indefinido), deber is conjugated as: yo debí, tú debiste, él/ella/usted debió, nosotros debimos, vosotros debisteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes debieron. The preterite is used To talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time.
How do you conjugate deber in the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto)?
In the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto), deber is conjugated as: yo debía, tú debías, él/ella/usted debía, nosotros debíamos, vosotros debíais, ellos/ellas/ustedes debían. The imperfect is used To describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do.
How do you conjugate deber in the future tense (futuro simple)?
In the future tense (futuro simple), deber is conjugated as: yo deberé, tú deberás, él/ella/usted deberá, nosotros deberemos, vosotros deberéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes deberán. The future tense is used To talk about something that will happen in the future.
How do you conjugate deber in the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente)?
In the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente), deber is conjugated as: yo deba, tú debas, él/ella/usted deba, nosotros debamos, vosotros debáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes deban. The present subjunctive is used To talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about.
What are some common example sentences using deber?
Here are everyday sentences using deber: No debí desconectarme del sitio. (I shouldn't have logged off.) Debemos aprender a vivir juntos como hermanos, o pereceremos juntos como tontos. (We must learn to live together as brothers, or we will perish together as fools.) Debo admitir que ronco... (I must admit that I snore.) Nosotros debemos aprender a encarar virtuosamente la adversidad. (We must learn to meet adversity gracefully.) Debiste de haber rechazado una propuesta tan injusta. (You should have refused such an unfair proposal.)
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Downloadable cheat sheets
Download and print a cheat sheet of Deber Spanish conjugation tables in image or PDF format:
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Practice Deber conjugations (free mobile & web app)
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About Ella Verbs
👋 Hola! We built Ella Verbs to help people (and ourselves!) master one of the hardest parts of Spanish – verb conjugation. It guides you through learning all tenses in an easy-to-follow way, giving you levels of bite-sized lessons and fun quizzes. Here is a 6 minute overview of all of the app's features:
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Want to explore other verb conjugations?
Why not check out Decidir – to decide or see the complete list of verbs here.
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