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How to Say "we owe" in Spanish

English → Spanish

debemos

/deh-BEH-mohs//deˈβe.mos/

VerbA2General
Use 'debemos' to express a concrete financial debt, a favor owed, or a general obligation or duty in the indicative mood.
Two friendly cartoon figures exchanging money, where one figure hands a small, overflowing bag of gold coins to the other, symbolizing a debt being paid or acknowledged.

Examples

Le debemos cincuenta euros a mi hermano.

We owe my brother fifty euros.

Te debemos una disculpa por llegar tarde.

We owe you an apology for being late.

Les debemos mucho a nuestros padres.

We owe a lot to our parents.

Who You Owe

When you say who you owe something to, you usually use 'a' or words like 'le' and 'les'. For example: 'Le debemos dinero a Juan' (We owe money to Juan).

debermos

VerbB2Formal/Subjunctive
Use 'debermos' (subjunctive of deber) when expressing a debt, obligation, or gratitude in a dependent clause, often following verbs of influence or emotion.

Examples

El banco exige que debamos pagar la cuota antes de fin de mes.

The bank demands that we pay the installment before the end of the month.

Indicative vs. Subjunctive Obligation

The most common mistake is using 'debemos' when the situation requires the subjunctive mood, such as after 'exigir que' or 'esperar que'. Remember that 'debemos' is for direct statements of obligation, while 'debermos' is for indirect or hypothetical obligations within a subordinate clause.

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