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How to Say "ought to" in Spanish

English → Spanish

deberías

verbB1informal advice
Use 'deberías' for general advice or a recommendation, often implying a moral or logical suggestion.

Examples

Deberías estudiar más si quieres aprobar el curso.

You ought to study more if you want to pass the course.

deber

deh-BEHRdeˈβeɾ

verbA1formal duty
Use 'deber' to express a strong obligation, duty, or necessity, similar to 'must'.
A determined rabbit character looking up a winding path marked by a large red arrow, symbolizing a strong obligation to proceed.

Examples

Debes respetar las leyes de tránsito.

You ought to respect traffic laws.

Debes estudiar para el examen mañana.

You must study for the exam tomorrow.

Todos debemos respetar las reglas.

We all should respect the rules.

Deberías llamarla para disculparte.

You ought to call her to apologize.

Using 'Deber'

To express an obligation, always use 'deber' followed immediately by the base form of the other verb (the infinitive). Example: 'Debo ir' (I must go).

Conditional for Advice

Use the conditional form ('debería') to give gentle advice or make a mild recommendation. It works exactly like 'should' or 'ought to' in English.

Confusing Obligation and Necessity

Mistake: “Using 'es necesario' too often.”

Correction: 'Deber' is usually a more natural and direct way to tell someone they should do something than saying 'It is necessary that...'

deberían

verbA2moral obligation or advice
Use 'deberían' when referring to 'they' or 'you all' and expressing moral obligation or advice.

Examples

Ellos deberían ser más cuidadosos con el medio ambiente.

They ought to be more careful with the environment.

tendría

verbB1stronger suggestion
Use 'tendría' to make a stronger suggestion or to indicate a hypothetical condition for improvement, similar to 'would have to'.

Examples

Para mejorar tu español, tendrías que practicarlo a diario.

To improve your Spanish, you would have to practice it daily.

Choosing Between 'Deberías' and 'Deber'

The most common mistake is confusing 'deberías' (advice) with 'deber' (strong obligation). Remember, 'deberías' is softer, like 'should', while 'deber' is stronger, like 'must'.

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