All verbs

/dəvwaʁ/to have toB1

Family
Family 5 — boot verbs
Takes
an infinitive — Followed by an infinitive for obligation; a direct object when it means to owe

Build map — what to memorise

These three pieces are learnt; every other tense is built from them.

The nous form
devons
Presentprésentlearn it whole

Singular — the short stem

Presentprésent1 exception(s)

Boot verb — ils takes the singular stem back

dev-+-ons -ez -ent

  • ils doiventthe rule said devent
Imperfectimparfaitfollows the rule

dev-+-ais -ais -ait -ions -iez -aient

Present participleparticipe-présentfollows the rule

dev-+-ant

Subjunctivesubjonctif-présentfollows the rule

Built on ils; nous and vous are the imparfait forms

doiv-+-e -es -e -ent

Infinitive
devoir
Simple futurefutur-simplestem changes

devr-+-ai -as -a -ons -ez -ont

Conditionalconditionnel-présentfollows the rule

Futur stem + imparfait endings

devr-+-ais -ais -ait -ions -iez -aient

Near futurefutur-prochefollows the rule

aller + infinitive

devoir

Past participle
dû

Takes avoir

Passé composépassé-composéfollows the rule

avoir (present) + past participle

dû

Pluperfectplus-que-parfaitfollows the rule

Auxiliary in the imparfait + past participle

dû

Conjugation

présent
Ije dois/ʒə dwa/I have to
youtu dois/ty dwa/you have to
he/sheil doit/il dwa/he has to
wenous devons/nu dəvɔ̃/we have to
youvous devez/vu dəve/you have to
theyils doivent/il dwav/they have to

Examples

  • Je dois finir le travail.

    /ʒə dwa fi.niʁ lə tʁa.vaj/

    I have to finish the work.

  • Il doit revenir.

    /il dwa ʁəv.niʁ/

    He has to come back.

  • Que dois-tu faire ?

    /kə dwa.ty fɛʁ/

    What do you have to do?

Set phrases

  • je dois

    I must, I have to

  • devoir de l'argent

    to owe money

Notes

  • Two unrelated meanings: with an infinitive it is obligation, with a noun it is owing — Je te dois vingt euros.

  • It also expresses probability: Il doit être malade means "he must be ill" — a guess, not a duty. English "must" does exactly the same double duty.

  • The negative changes the meaning: Tu ne dois pas is a prohibition (you must not), not an absence of obligation. For that, use Tu n'es pas obligé. See devoir-falloir.