The irregular verb devoir is a “shoe verb” in the present tense:

Devoir may express the following:

• Obligation

  • Devoir shows that the subject “must,” “has to,” or “is supposed to” do something.

    • Il doit travailler. (He must work or He has to work or He is supposed to work.)

    • Il devait travailler mais il était malade. (He had to work but he was sick or He was supposed to work but he was sick.)

• When used in the conditional, devoir means “ought to” or “should (have).”

  • Je devrais le faire. (I should do it or I ought to do it.)

  • J'aurais dû le faire. (I should have done it or I ought to have done it.)

• Probability or supposition

  • Elle doit être contente. (She must be happy or She is probably happy.)

  • Elle a dû pleurer. (She must have cried.)

• Debt

  • Devoir means “to owe” when it is followed by a noun:

    • Il me doit cent dollars. (He owes me $100.)

Cite this article