deber preterite conjugation
Deber (should/must/to owe) in the preterite: debí, debiste, debió, debimos, debisteis, debieron.
Pretérito indefinido Preterite
| 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 preterite
The preterite (pretérito indefinido) is the past tense for completed actions with a clear start or end: “Ayer hice la cena.” For background, habits and ongoing states in the past, Spanish uses the imperfect instead.
How it is formed
Regular endings: -ar → é, aste, ó, amos, asteis, aron; -er/-ir → í, iste, ió, imos, isteis, ieron. Many common verbs use an irregular stem (hic-, tuv-, estuv-, pud-, quis-, dij-) with unstressed endings -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.
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 preterite of deber?
Deber in the Spanish preterite: yo debí, tú debiste, él/ella/usted debió, nosotros debimos, vosotros debisteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes debieron.
Is deber irregular in the preterite?
No. In the preterite deber takes the regular endings for its verb class, so debí follows the same pattern as any regular verb.
When do you use the Spanish preterite?
The preterite (pretérito indefinido) is the past tense for completed actions with a clear start or end: “Ayer hice la cena.” For background, habits and ongoing states in the past, Spanish uses the imperfect instead.
How is the preterite formed?
Regular endings: -ar → é, aste, ó, amos, asteis, aron; -er/-ir → í, iste, ió, imos, isteis, ieron. Many common verbs use an irregular stem (hic-, tuv-, estuv-, pud-, quis-, dij-) with unstressed endings -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.
Full deber conjugation, all tenses →
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