Conjugation of deber

The Spanish verb deber means "to owe, should". Below are its 8 tenses as tables, 4 example sentences and answers to 3 common questions. Press play next to a present tense form or an example to hear it.

Meaning: to owe, should
Type: Regular -er verb
Gerund: debiendo
Past participle: debido

Quick answer

The present tense of deber is yo debo, tú debes, él/ella/usted debe, nosotros debemos, vosotros debéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes deben. It is a regular -er verb, so every tense takes the standard -er endings. The tables below cover 8 tenses, from the present to the present perfect. Every present form and 4 example sentences have a listen button.

Present tense of deber

Present Presente
yo	debo
tú	debes
él/ella/usted	debe
nosotros	debemos
vosotros	debéis
ellos/ellas/ustedes	deben

More tenses of deber

Preterite Pretérito perfecto simple
yo	debí
tú	debiste
él/ella/usted	debió
nosotros	debimos
vosotros	debisteis
ellos/ellas/ustedes	debieron

Imperfect Pretérito imperfecto
yo	debía
tú	debías
él/ella/usted	debía
nosotros	debíamos
vosotros	debíais
ellos/ellas/ustedes	debían

Future Futuro simple
yo	deberé
tú	deberás
él/ella/usted	deberá
nosotros	deberemos
vosotros	deberéis
ellos/ellas/ustedes	deberán

Conditional Condicional simple
yo	debería
tú	deberías
él/ella/usted	debería
nosotros	deberíamos
vosotros	deberíais
ellos/ellas/ustedes	deberían

Present subjunctive Presente de subjuntivo
yo	deba
tú	debas
él/ella/usted	deba
nosotros	debamos
vosotros	debáis
ellos/ellas/ustedes	deban

Imperative Imperativo afirmativo
tú	debe
usted	deba
nosotros	debamos
vosotros	debed
ustedes	deban

Present perfect Pretérito perfecto compuesto
yo	he debido
tú	has debido
él/ella/usted	ha debido
nosotros	hemos debido
vosotros	habéis debido
ellos/ellas/ustedes	han debido

Notes on deber

Deber is regular. Its forms follow the regular -er pattern, including debo, debí and deberé, and its past participle is debido.

Meet deber in real Spanish books

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Example sentences with deber

Debo pagar la cuenta esta tarde. I must pay the bill this afternoon.
Ayer debimos comprar más comida. Yesterday we had to buy more food.
Cuando era niño, debía estudiar mucho. When I was a child, I had to study a lot.
Mañana deberás llamar al médico. Tomorrow you will have to call the doctor.

comer to eat beber to drink poder to be able to

Conjugate any other Spanish verb in the conjugator →

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Put it into practice

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Frequently asked questions

Is deber a regular verb?

Yes, deber is regular. Its forms follow the regular -er verb pattern.

What are the present tense forms of deber?

They are debo, debes, debe, debemos, debéis and deben.

What is the past participle of deber and how is the perfect formed?

The past participle is debido. The perfect uses haber plus debido, such as he debido and han debido.