Mixing up 'debes' and 'tienes que'

To say someone 'must' or 'should' do something, use 'deber' followed by the action verb in its original '-ar', '-er', or '-ir' form. For example, 'Debes comer' (You must eat).

Stating Obligations

'Debes' is used when talking to one person you know well (the 'tú' form). When speaking to someone formally, an older person, or a boss, use 'debe'.

Formal vs. Informal 'You'

Extremely common. One of the first verbs you'll learn to express obligation.

Adding 'de'

When you use 'deber' to guess something, it works just like when you state an obligation: 'deber' + the original verb form. For example, 'Debes tener frío' (You must be cold).

Making a Guess

To know if 'debes' means 'you must do' or 'you must be', listen to the situation. If it's advice or a rule, it's an obligation. If it's a logical conclusion, it's a guess.

Listen to the Context

Common in conversation for making assumptions or guessing.

This meaning often uses little words like 'me' (to me), 'le' (to him/her), or 'nos' (to us) to show who is owed. For example, 'Le debes respeto' (You owe him/her respect).

Who You Owe

Remember that you can 'owe' more than just money. This word is perfect for talking about favors, explanations, apologies, and respect.

More Than Money

Very common when talking about money or favors.

Learn the uses of 'debes' in Spanish. Understand the difference between obligation ('you must'), probability ('you must be'), and debt ('you owe'). Includes full 'deber' conjugation tables and examples.

Debes Meaning & Deber Conjugation | Inklingo Spanish

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Verb conjugation is the backbone of Spanish communication. Every sentence you speak or write requires at least one conjugated verb, and getting it right determines whether you sound fluent or confused.

The good news: Spanish has clear patterns. Regular -ar, -er, and -ir verbs follow predictable rules, and the 20 most common irregular verbs cover the vast majority of everyday conversation. Master those, and you''re already ahead of most learners.

Past, present, future, hypothetical — conjugations let you place actions exactly when they happened or might happen.

Wrong conjugations can change who did what. ''Hablé'' (I spoke) vs ''habló'' (he spoke) — one accent mark, completely different meaning.

DELE, AP Spanish, and university placement tests all heavily test conjugation accuracy. It''s the most testable skill in Spanish.

When conjugation becomes automatic, you stop translating in your head and start thinking directly in Spanish. That''s true fluency.

Spanish has 14 major verb tenses across 3 moods (indicative, subjunctive, imperative), but just 3 tenses — present, preterite, and imperfect — account for over 80% of verbs used in everyday speech. Focus there first.

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debes

Complete Conjugation Tables

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

future

imperfect

conditional

preterite

imperative

negative

affirmative

subjunctive

present

imperfect

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