Deber Conjugation Chart & Full Tense Guide

“Deber” is a Spanish regular -er verb meaning “to owe,” “must,” “should,” or “ought to.” This may sound confusing for English speakers. After all, we don’t have a verb “to must” or “to should”.

But as a regular verb, its conjugation follows a predictable pattern across various tenses and moods.

This means it’s easier to learn than many other verbs. So, when you need to express obligation, duty, or responsibility in Spanish, “deber” comes into play.

I’m James, from Learn Spanish With James, and in this article I’ll provide you with a comprehensive guide to conjugating “deber” in all its forms. 

We’ll cover the indicative, subjunctive, and imperative moods, and I’ll provide example sentences for each conjugation with English translations. 

Whether you’re a beginner looking to grasp the basics or an advanced learner aiming to refine your understanding, this “deber” conjugation chart and tense guide offers a complete resource for mastering the usage of this Spanish verb.

Present Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	debo
you	tú	debes
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	debe
we	nosotros,nosotras	debemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	debéis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	deben

When We Use The Present Tense

In Spanish, the present tense conjugations of “deber” express obligation, necessity, or probability in the present moment.

As a regular -er verb, the task to conjugate ”deber” in the present is relatively easy.

Below, you will see how we conjugate ”deber” in the first and second person singular: “Debo estudiar” (I must study), “Debes ir al médico” (You ought to go to the doctor).

I have also provided other examples below.

Examples of the Present Tense “Deber” Conjugation

1. Yo debo estudiar para el examen mañana. (I must study for the exam tomorrow.)
2. Tú debes llegar a tiempo a la reunión. (You must arrive on time to the meeting.)
3. Él/ella debe pagar la factura antes de la fecha límite. (He must pay the bill before the deadline.)
4. Nosotros debemos cuidar el medio ambiente. (We must take care of the environment.)
5. Vosotros debéis practicar más el español. (You all should practice Spanish more.)
6. Ellos/ellas deben seguir las instrucciones del profesor. (They must follow the teacher’s instructions.)
7. Estas tareas deberían hacerse semanalmente. (These chores should be done weekly.)

Preterite Tense 

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	debí
you	tú	debiste
he, she. it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	debió
we	nosotros, nosotras	debimos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	debisteis
they, you (pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	debieron

When We Use The Preterite Tense

The preterite tense in Spanish expresses past obligations or duties that were completed at a specific point in time. 

As I always say in my verb conjugation guides, do not confuse this tense with the imperfect tense, which we’ll come onto in a few moments. 

Remember that the preterite tense indicates actions that occurred and finished in the past; they were not ongoing actions. 

Some examples of “deber” in the preterite tense are: “Debí estudiar anoche” (I had to study last night), “Debiste llamar a tu madre” (You should have called your mother).

I have provided other example sentences with translations below. 

Examples of the Preterite Tense “Deber” Conjugation

1. Yo debí estudiar más para el examen. (I should have studied more for the exam.)
2. Tú debiste llamar a tu amigo ayer. (You should have called your friend yesterday.)
3. Él debió llegar tarde al trabajo. (He must have arrived late to work.)
4. Nosotros debimos comprar los boletos con anticipación. (We should have bought the tickets in advance.)
5. Vosotros debisteis terminar el proyecto antes de la fecha límite. (You all should have finished the project before the deadline.)
6. Ellos/ellas debieron traer el equipo necesario para la expedición. (They must have brought the necessary equipment for the expedition.)

Imperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	debía
you	tú	debías
he, she, it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	debía
we	nosotros, nosotras	debíamos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	debíais
they, you(pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	debían

When We Use The Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense in Spanish for “deber” allows us to express habitual actions, ongoing obligations, or duties in the past. 

This tense portrays actions that were continuous or repeated over a period of time in the past without specifying a definite endpoint.

For instance: “Debía estudiar todas las tardes” (I used to have to study every afternoon).

The above and below examples may look confusing to you because we are using the verb “to have” in our English translations for the Spanish verb “deber”.

This is simply due to the fact that we do not have a verb “to must”, “to should” or “to ought to” in English. 

Examples of the Imperfect Tense “Deber” Conjugation

1. Yo debía hacer ejercicio todos los días. (I used to have to exercise every day.)
2. Tú debías ayudar en casa cuando eras joven. (You used to have to help at home when you were young.)
3. Él/ella debía estudiar mucho para sacar buenas notas. (He had to study a lot to get good grades.)
4. Nosotros debíamos limpiar la casa los fines de semana. (We used to have to clean the house on weekends.)
5. Vosotros debíais cuidar a los animales de la granja. (You all used to have to take care of the farm animals.)
6. Ellos/ellas debían ahorrar dinero para el futuro. (They had to save money for the future.)

Future Tense 

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	deberé
you	tú	deberás
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	deberá
we	nosotros,nosotras	deberemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	deberéis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	deberán

When We Use The Future Tense

The future tense in Spanish is used to express obligations or duties that will occur in the future.

In English, the literal translation is “will”, unlike the conditional tense which is “would”.

The Spanish verb “deber” in the future tense indicates actions that will be necessary or expected at a later time. 

For example: “Deberé estudiar para el examen mañana” (I will have to study for the exam tomorrow).

I have provided more examples below for you to study. As always, take note of the endings.

Doing so will help you to learn the conjugations by heart. 

Examples of “Deber” in the Future Tense

1. Yo deberé estudiar para el examen mañana. (I will have to study for the exam tomorrow.)
2. Tú deberás cuidar de tus hermanos este fin de semana. (You will have to take care of your siblings this weekend.)
3. Él/ella deberá pagar la deuda antes de fin de mes. (He will have to pay the debt by the end of the month.)
4. Nosotros deberemos hacer las reservas para el viaje pronto. (We will have to make the reservations for the trip soon.)
5. Vosotros deberéis entregar el informe antes de la reunión. (You all will have to submit the report before the meeting.)
6. Ellos/ellas deberán cumplir con sus responsabilidades en el proyecto. (They will have to fulfill their responsibilities in the project.)

Conditional Tense 

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	debería
you	tú	deberías
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	debería
we	nosotros,nosotras	deberíamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	deberíais
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	deberían

When We Use The Conditional Tense

The conditional tense in Spanish for the verb “deber”, and all other Spanish verbs for that matter, is used to express hypothetical obligations or duties.

It indicates actions that would be necessary or expected under certain circumstances. For example: “Debería estudiar más para el examen” (I should study more for the exam).

“Debería” is a great expression to learn and you will hear it used frequently when you go to Spanish-speaking countries. 

Learn it, as you can use it in multiple situations for both the first and third person singular. 

Examples of “Deber” in the Conditional Tense

1. Yo debería ayudarte con tu proyecto. (I should help you with your project.)
2. Tú deberías cuidar mejor de tus plantas. (You should take better care of your plants.)
3. Él/ella debería llamar a su abuela más a menudo. (He should call his grandmother more often.)
4. Nosotros deberíamos ahorrar más dinero para las vacaciones. (We should save more money for the holidays.)
5. Vosotros deberíais considerar esa oferta laboral. (You all should consider that job offer.)
6. Ellos/ellas deberían ser más amables con sus vecinos. (They should be nicer to their neighbors.)

Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	he	debido
you	tú	has	debido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	ha	debido
we	nosotros,nosotras	hemos	debido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habéis	debido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	han	debido

When We Use The Preterite Perfect Tense

The preterite perfect tense in Spanish for “deber” allows us to express actions that should have been completed before a specific point in the past.

An example of this in context is as follows: “he debido hacer la tarea antes. (I must have done the homework earlier.)

While the perfect tense is extremely common in Spanish, you are more likely to hear and need to use the imperfect tense of the verb “deber” than the perfect tense. 

Remember, with the perfect tense, you conjugate the auxiliary verb “haber” and adopt the past participle of the verb. In this case, that becomes “debido”.

Examples of “Deber” in the Preterite Perfect 

• Yo he debido hacer la tarea antes. (I must have done the homework earlier.)
• Tú has debido recordar comprar leche. (You must have remembered to buy milk.)
• Él/ella ha debido llegar a tiempo a la cita. (He must have arrived on time to the appointment.)
• Nosotros hemos debido preparar la cena para nuestros invitados. (We must have prepared dinner for our guests.)
• Vosotros habéis debido estudiar más para el examen. (You all must have studied more for the exam.)
• Ellos/ellas han debido terminar el proyecto esta mañana. (They must have finished the project this morning.)

Pluperfect Tense 

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	había	debido
you	tú	habías	debido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	había	debido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habíamos	debido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habíais	debido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habían	debido

When We Use The Pluperfect Tense

The pluperfect tense in Spanish is used to express actions that should have been completed before another past action.

It indicates obligations or duties that were expected to be fulfilled by a certain time in the past, prior to another point in the past. 

In English, we say “had” to do something. 

For example: “habías debido el dinero.” (You had owed the money.)

Examples of “Deber” in the Pluperfect 

1. Yo había debido hacer la tarea antes de la clase. (I had to have done the homework before class.)
2. Tú habías debido llamar a tu madre antes de salir. (You should have called your mother before leaving.)
3. Él/ella había debido estudiar más para el examen. (He should have studied more for the exam.)
4. Nosotros habíamos debido preparar la comida para la fiesta. (We should have prepared the food for the party.)
5. Vosotros habíais debido llegar temprano al aeropuerto. (You all should have arrived early at the airport.)
6. Ellos/ellas habían debido pagar la factura antes de la fecha límite. (They should have paid the bill before the deadline.)

Future Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	habré	debido
you	tú	habrás	debido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habrá	debido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habremos	debido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habréis	debido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrán	debido

When We Use The Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect tense in Spanish allows us to communicate actions that will be completed before a specific point in the future. 

We form this tense using the auxiliary verb “haber”, followed by the participle ”debido” plus the infinitive form of the main verb.

For example: “Habré debido terminar la tarea antes de medianoche” (I will have had to finish the homework before midnight).

This is a great high level conjugation that will help you boost your scores in oral exams. 

I have provided some examples of the future perfect tense using “deber” below.

Examples of “Deber” in the Future Perfect Spanish Verb Conjugation

1. Yo habré debido estudiar mucho para el examen. (I will have had to study a lot for the exam.)
2. Tú habrás debido terminar el proyecto para la próxima semana. (You will have had to finish the project by next week.)
3. Él/ella habrá debido enviar el informe antes del viernes. (He will have had to send the report before Friday.)
4. Nosotros habremos debido ahorrar suficiente dinero para las vacaciones. (We will have had to save enough money for the holidays.)
5. Vosotros habréis debido practicar mucho para el partido. (You all will have had to practice a lot for the match.)
6. Ellos/ellas habrán debido tomar una decisión antes de la reunión. (They will have had to make a decision before the meeting.)

Conditional Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	habría	debido
you	tú	habrías	debido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habría	debido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habríamos	debido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habríais	debido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrían	debido

When We Use The Conditional Perfect Tense

The conditional perfect tense in Spanish is used to express hypothetical obligations or duties that would have been completed before a specific point in the past or future.

This tense indicates actions that would have been necessary or expected under certain circumstances. 

For example: “Habría debido estudiar más para el examen” (I would have had to study more for the exam).

As you can see, we need to use the auxiliary verb “haber” again in order to use the conditional perfect tense.

Examples of “Deber” in the Conditional Perfect 

1. Yo habría debido estudiar más para el examen. (I should have studied more for the exam.)
2. Tú deberías haber llamado a tu amigo para disculparte. (You should have called your friend to apologize.)
3. Él/ella habría debido llegar a tiempo a la cita. (He should have arrived on time to the appointment.)
4. Nosotros deberíamos haber ahorrado dinero para el viaje. (We should have saved money for the trip.)
5. Vosotros habríais debido hacer ejercicio regularmente. (You all should have exercised regularly.)
6. Ellos/ellas deberían haber terminado el proyecto antes de la fecha límite. (They should have finished the project before the deadline.)

Present Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	deba
you	tú	debas
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	deba
we	nosotros,nosotras	debamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	debáis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	deban

When We Use The Present Subjunctive

The present subjunctive tense in Spanish is extremely common and something that all Spanish learners will need to learn to love! 

The present subjunctive is used in subordinate clauses after certain expressions of necessity, obligation, or recommendation, expressing a subjective perspective or uncertainty about the action.

It often follows phrases such as “es necesario que” (it’s necessary that), “es importante que” (it’s important that), or “es recomendable que” (it’s recommendable that).

While not commonly used with the Spanish verb “deber”, this sentence structure and use case is definitely still worth learning to help with comprehension. 

Examples of the Verb “Deber” in the Present Subjunctive

1. Es importante que yo deba estudiar para el examen. (I must study for the exam.)
2. Mi madre insiste en que tú debas ayudar en casa. (My mother insists that you should help at home.)
3. Es necesario que él deba llegar temprano a la cita. (He must arrive early to the appointment.)
4. Mi profesor recomienda que nosotros debamos practicar más. (My teacher recommends that we should practice more.)
5. Es mejor que vosotros no debáis gastar todo el dinero. (You all shouldn’t spend all the money.)
6. El médico sugiere que ellos deban tomar medicina cada seis horas. (The doctor suggests that they should take medicine every six hours.)

Imperfect Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	debiera, debiese
you	tú	debieras, debieses
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	debiera, debiese
we	nosotros,nosotras	debiéramos, debiésemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	debierais, debieseis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	debieran, debiesen

When We Use The Imperfect Subjunctive

Just like the present subjunctive, the imperfect subjunctive tense in Spanish is used in subordinate clauses to express hypothetical or uncertain obligations, recommendations, desires, or wishes in the past.

It often appears after phrases like “ojalá que” (I hope that), “querer que” (to want that), or “sería mejor que” (it would be better that).

It is not commonly used with the verb “deber” so I have skipped example sentences in this case. 

Affirmative Imperative Spanish Verb Conjugation

Pronouns	Pronombres
you	tú	¡debe!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡deba!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡debamos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡debed!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡deban!

When We Use The Affirmative Imperative

The affirmative imperative mood in Spanish is used to give commands or orders in a direct and affirmative manner.

However, “deber” is not typically used in the affirmative imperative because it conveys obligation or necessity rather than a command.

Negative Imperative

Pronouns	Pronombres
you	tú	¡no debas!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡no deba!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡no debamos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡no debáis!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡no deban!

Likewise, the negative imperative for “deber” is not commonly used in Spanish.

This is due to the fact that it inherently conveys obligation or necessity rather than a direct command.

Instead, phrases such as “No debes…” (You must not/should not…) are more natural and commonly used to express negated obligations or prohibitions.

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