deber imperfect tense conjugation
Deber (should/must/to owe) in the imperfect tense: debía, debías, debía, debíamos, debíais, debían.
Pretérito imperfecto Imperfect
| yo | |
|---|---|
| tú | |
| él/ella/usted | |
| nosotros | |
| vosotros | |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
ending regular · irr breaks the pattern · tap a form to hear it
When to use the imperfect tense
The imperfect (pretérito imperfecto) describes the past as background: habits (“used to”), ongoing actions (“was doing”), descriptions, age and time. “Cuando era niño, vivía en Sevilla.”
How it is formed
Regular endings: -ar → aba, abas, aba, ábamos, abais, aban; -er/-ir → ía, ías, ía, íamos, íais, ían. Only three verbs are irregular in the imperfect: ser (era), ir (iba) and ver (veía).
Deber is regular here, so it is a good model for other verbs of the same class.
Read more: Preterite vs imperfect: when to use each
Deber in a sentence
- Debo estudiar más.I should study more.
- Le debía dinero a su amigo.He owed money to his friend.
Regular verb; followed by infinitive for obligation; also means 'to owe' money.
FAQ
What is the imperfect tense of deber?
Deber in the Spanish imperfect tense: yo debía, tú debías, él/ella/usted debía, nosotros debíamos, vosotros debíais, ellos/ellas/ustedes debían.
Is deber irregular in the imperfect tense?
No. In the imperfect tense deber takes the regular endings for its verb class, so debía follows the same pattern as any regular verb.
When do you use the Spanish imperfect tense?
The imperfect (pretérito imperfecto) describes the past as background: habits (“used to”), ongoing actions (“was doing”), descriptions, age and time. “Cuando era niño, vivía en Sevilla.”
How is the imperfect tense formed?
Regular endings: -ar → aba, abas, aba, ábamos, abais, aban; -er/-ir → ía, ías, ía, íamos, íais, ían. Only three verbs are irregular in the imperfect: ser (era), ir (iba) and ver (veía).
Full deber conjugation, all tenses →
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