Conjugations
Below are the conjugations of devoir in the most common French tenses.
Present Indicative (Présent)
| French Pronoun | Devoir (Present) | English Conjugation | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Je | dois | I have to | Je dois partir. | I have to leave. |
| Tu | dois | You have to | Tu dois étudier. | You have to study. |
| Il/Elle/On | doit | He/She has to | Elle doit travailler. | She has to work. |
| Nous | devons | We have to | Nous devons partir. | We have to leave. |
| Vous | devez | You have to | Vous devez finir. | You have to finish. |
| Ils/Elles | doivent | They have to | Ils doivent venir. | They have to come. |
Past Participle
| French Form | English Form | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| dû (m.) / due (f.) | owed / had to | J'ai dû partir. | I had to leave. |
had to (masculine)
dû
The past participle of devoir is 'dû' for masculine singular.
Passé Composé
| French Pronoun | Devoir (Passé Composé) | English Conjugation | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Je | ai dû | I had to | J'ai dû étudier. | I had to study. |
| Tu | as dû | You had to | Tu as dû partir. | You had to leave. |
| Il/Elle/On | a dû | He/She had to | Elle a dû travailler. | She had to work. |
| Nous | avons dû | We had to | Nous avons dû partir. | We had to leave. |
| Vous | avez dû | You had to | Vous avez dû finir. | You had to finish. |
| Ils/Elles | ont dû | They had to | Ils ont dû venir. | They had to come. |
Imperfect (Imparfait)
| French Pronoun | Devoir (Imparfait) | English Conjugation | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Je | devais | I had to / was supposed to | Je devais partir. | I had to leave. |
| Tu | devais | You had to / were supposed to | Tu devais étudier. | You had to study. |
| Il/Elle/On | devait | He/She had to / was supposed to | Elle devait travailler. | She had to work. |
| Nous | devions | We had to / were supposed to | Nous devions partir. | We had to leave. |
| Vous | deviez | You had to / were supposed to | Vous deviez finir. | You had to finish. |
| Ils/Elles | devaient | They had to / were supposed to | Ils devaient venir. | They had to come. |
We were supposed to leave
Nous devions partir.
'Nous devions' is the correct first-person plural imperfect form to express past habit or obligation.
Future Simple
| French Pronoun | Devoir (Futur Simple) | English Conjugation | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Je | devrai | I will have to | Je devrai partir. | I will have to leave. |
| Tu | devras | You will have to | Tu devras étudier. | You will have to study. |
| Il/Elle/On | devra | He/She will have to | Elle devra travailler. | She will have to work. |
| Nous | devrons | We will have to | Nous devrons partir. | We will have to leave. |
| Vous | devrez | You will have to | Vous devrez finir. | You will have to finish. |
| Ils/Elles | devront | They will have to | Ils devront venir. | They will have to come. |
Conditional Present
| French Pronoun | Devoir (Conditionnel Présent) | English Conjugation | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Je | devrais | I should / would have to | Je devrais partir. | I should leave. |
| Tu | devrais | You should / would have to | Tu devrais étudier. | You should study. |
| Il/Elle/On | devrait | He/She should / would have to | Elle devrait travailler. | She should work. |
| Nous | devrions | We should / would have to | Nous devrions partir. | We should leave. |
| Vous | devriez | You should / would have to | Vous devriez finir. | You should finish. |
| Ils/Elles | devraient | They should / would have to | Ils devraient venir. | They should come. |
Subjonctif Présent
| French Pronoun | Devoir (Subjonctif Présent) | English Form | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| que je | doive | that I must | Il faut que je doive partir. | It's necessary that I must leave. |
| que tu | doives | that you must | Il faut que tu doives étudier. | It's necessary that you must study. |
| qu’il/elle/on | doive | that he/she must | Il faut qu’elle doive travailler. | It's necessary that she must work. |
| que nous | devions | that we must | Il faut que nous devions partir. | It's necessary that we must leave. |
| que vous | deviez | that you must | Il faut que vous deviez finir. | It's necessary that you must finish. |
| qu’ils/elles | doivent | that they must | Il faut qu’ils doivent venir. | It's necessary that they must come. |
Usage
Expressing Obligation or Necessity
Devoir is primarily used to express that someone must or has to do something.
- Je dois partir. → I have to leave.
- Tu dois finir tes devoirs. → You must finish your homework.
- Nous devons être à l'heure. → We have to be on time.
Which French sentence means 'You must finish your homework'?
Tu dois finir tes devoirs.
Tu dois finir tes devoirs correctly uses devoir + infinitive to express obligation.
Expressing Probability or Supposition
Devoir can be used to express a logical assumption or probability, similar to "must be" or "should be" in English.
- Il doit être tard. → It must be late.
- Elle doit avoir faim. → She must be hungry.
- Ils doivent être en retard. → They must be late.
Indicating an Owed Amount
Devoir also means "to owe" when used with a direct object, usually referring to money or a debt.
- Je dois 10 euros. → I owe 10 euros.
- Tu dois de l'argent à Paul. → You owe Paul some money.
- Nous devons rembourser le prêt. → We must repay the loan.
Tips for Learners
- Devoir is irregular, so be sure to memorize its stem changes, especially dois, doit, devons, devez, doivent in the present tense.
- When expressing past obligation, use avoir dû + past participle (e.g., J’ai dû partir = I had to leave).
- Devoir + infinitive is the most common construction (e.g., Je dois étudier = I have to study).
- Pay attention to context to know whether devoir means "must," "have to," "should," or "owe."
Flashcards (1 of 37)
- Devoir (Present): dois
- English Conjugation: I have to
- English Example: I have to leave.
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
