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debimos

deh-BEE-mohs/deˈβi.mos/

“debimos” means “we had to” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

we had to, we owed

Also: we were obliged to
VerbA2regular er
Two small figures straining together, pulling a large, heavy, square block up a slight incline using a thick rope, symbolizing a difficult past obligation.
infinitivedeber
gerunddebiendo
past Participledebido

📝 In Action

Debimos ir al hospital inmediatamente.

A2

We had to go to the hospital immediately.

Debimos dinero a nuestros padres por el viaje.

B1

We owed money to our parents for the trip.

¿Qué debimos hacer en esa situación?

B1

What were we supposed to do in that situation?

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • tuvimos que (we had to (obligation))
  • necesitamos (we needed)

Common Collocations

  • debimos actuar – we had to act
  • debimos pagar – we owed/had to pay

we should have

Also: we ought to have
VerbB1regular er
Two sad storybook characters standing outside a tall, closed, iron gate, looking down with expressions of sadness and regret for a missed opportunity.
infinitivedeber
gerunddebiendo
past Participledebido

📝 In Action

Debimos haber llamado a la policía antes.

B1

We should have called the police earlier (but we didn't).

No debimos haber comido tanto postre.

B2

We shouldn't have eaten so much dessert (we regret it).

Debimos haberlo pensado mejor.

B1

We should have thought about it better.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • tendríamos que haber (we would have had to (similar meaning of unfulfilled necessity))

Common Collocations

  • debimos haber + participio – we should have + past action

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/usteddebe
yodebo
túdebes
ellos/ellas/ustedesdeben
nosotrosdebemos
vosotrosdebéis

imperfect

él/ella/usteddebía
yodebía
túdebías
ellos/ellas/ustedesdebían
nosotrosdebíamos
vosotrosdebíais

preterite

él/ella/usteddebió
yodebí
túdebiste
ellos/ellas/ustedesdebieron
nosotrosdebimos
vosotrosdebisteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/usteddeba
yodeba
túdebas
ellos/ellas/ustedesdeban
nosotrosdebamos
vosotrosdebáis

imperfect

él/ella/usteddebiera / debiese
yodebiera / debiese
túdebieras / debieses
ellos/ellas/ustedesdebieran / debiesen
nosotrosdebiéramos / debiésemos
vosotrosdebierais / debieseis
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "debimos" in Spanish:

we owed→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: debimos

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence expresses regret about a past action?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
deber(to owe, must, should) — Verb
el deber(duty, homework) — Noun
debido(due, proper) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
subimosvivimos
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from the Latin verb *debere*, which meant 'to owe' or 'to be under obligation.' The concept of financial debt and moral duty have been linked since its origin.

First recorded: 10th century

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: devemosFrench: devons

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 'debimos' and 'deberíamos'?

'Debimos' is the simple past (preterite) and refers to a specific, completed obligation: 'We had to.' 'Deberíamos' is the conditional tense and means 'We should' (right now) or 'We should have' (expressing mild advice, not strong regret). However, for strong past regret, 'debimos haber' is better.

Since 'debimos' is the 'nosotros' form, how do I say 'I should have'?

You would use the 'yo' form of the conditional tense followed by 'haber': 'Yo debería haber...' (I should have...). For stronger regret, you could also use the preterite: 'Debí haber...' (I should have...).