Quick answer
deber means to have to, should, must. Use deber in full sentences, paying attention to the pronoun and the ending that matches it.
Present tense conjugation of deber
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | debo |
| tú | debes |
| él/ella/usted | debe |
| nosotros | debemos |
| ellos/ustedes | deben |
Practice deber in real sentences
Try the sentence loop, then use the compact reference below to review each example in one place.
Sentence 1 of 20
yo
Yo ___ beber más agua durante el ejercicio.
deber sentence examples
These examples keep the full practice text visible for review: match the pronoun, fill in the blank, then check the answer and translation.
| Pronoun | Sentence | Answer | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | Yo ___ beber más agua durante el ejercicio. | debo | I must drink more water during exercise. |
| yo | Yo ___ terminar mi tarea antes de salir. | debo | I should finish my homework before going out. |
| yo | Yo ___ practicar piano antes del recital. | debo | I must practice piano before the recital. |
| yo | Yo ___ ir al médico esta semana. | debo | I should go to the doctor this week. |
| tú | Tú ___ comer más verduras. | debes | You should eat more vegetables. |
| tú | Tú ___ llamar a tu mamá hoy. | debes | You should call your mom today. |
| tú | Tú ___ usar protector solar en la playa. | debes | You must use sunscreen at the beach. |
| tú | Tú ___ entregar el informe antes del viernes. | debes | You must turn in the report before Friday. |
| él/ella/usted | La enfermera ___ tomar la temperatura del paciente. | debe | The nurse must take the patient's temperature. |
| él/ella/usted | Usted ___ firmar estos documentos. | debe | You (formal) should sign these documents. |
| él/ella/usted | Ella ___ trabajar mañana temprano. | debe | She has to work early tomorrow. |
| él/ella/usted | El piloto ___ revisar los instrumentos antes de despegar. | debe | The pilot must check the instruments before takeoff. |
| nosotros | Nosotros ___ salir temprano para evitar el tráfico. | debemos | We should leave early to avoid traffic. |
| nosotros | Nosotros ___ ahorrar más dinero. | debemos | We should save more money. |
| nosotros | Nosotros ___ reciclar las botellas de plástico. | debemos | We must recycle plastic bottles. |
| nosotros | Nosotros ___ respetar las reglas del parque nacional. | debemos | We must respect the rules of the national park. |
| ellos/ustedes | Ellos ___ estudiar para el examen. | deben | They should study for the exam. |
| ellos/ustedes | Ustedes ___ llegar a las ocho. | deben | You all should arrive at eight. |
| ellos/ustedes | Ustedes ___ apagar los celulares en el avión. | deben | You all must turn off your cell phones on the plane. |
| ellos/ustedes | Los conductores ___ obedecer las señales de tránsito. | deben | Drivers must obey traffic signs. |
Common mistake
A common mistake is memorizing deber as a list of forms without practicing it in context. Verbito examples help connect each form to a real sentence.