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Key facts

Devoir

To have to · to have to/must/to owe

A1Irregular
Group
3rd group
Model
modaux
Stem
dev
Past participle
dû

Examples

Je dois partir.

I must leave.

Il ne doit pas fumer.

He must not smoke.

Nous devions travailler.

We had to work.

Nous avons dû l'attendre.

We had to wait for him.

This verb is highly irregular. Prioritize repetition and active recall.

Présent

Indicative present — everyday actions, ongoing situations, and habits; the tense you rely on most in conversation.

Group 3
Jedois
Ihave to
Tudois
Youhave to
Ildoit
Hehas to
Nousdevons
Wehave to
Vousdevez
Youhave to
Ilsdoivent
Theyhave to

Futur proche

Near future with aller + infinitive — what you are about to do, very soon after the moment of speaking.

Jevais devoir
Iam going to have to
Tuvas devoir
Youare going to have to
Ilva devoir
Heis going to have to
Nousallons devoir
Weare going to have to
Vousallez devoir
Youare going to have to
Ilsvont devoir
Theyare going to have to

Passé récent

Recent past with venir de + infinitive — something that has just finished, still fresh in the speaker’s mind.

Jeviens de devoir
Ihave just had to
Tuviens de devoir
Youhave just had to
Ilvient de devoir
Hehas just had to
Nousvenons de devoir
Wehave just had to
Vousvenez de devoir
Youhave just had to
Ilsviennent de devoir
Theyhave just had to

Passé composé

Compound past with être or avoir + past participle — completed, one-off events and the backbone of spoken storytelling.

J'ai dû
Ihave had to
Tuas dû
Youhave had to
Ila dû
Hehas had to
Nousavons dû
Wehave had to
Vousavez dû
Youhave had to
Ilsont dû
Theyhave had to

Conditionnel présent

Conditional mood — polite requests, imagined outcomes, and what would happen under certain conditions.

Jedevrais
Iwould have to
Tudevrais
Youwould have to
Ildevrait
Hewould have to
Nousdevrions
Wewould have to
Vousdevriez
Youwould have to
Ilsdevraient
Theywould have to

Futur simple

Simple future — often more formal or literary than the near future; states intentions farther ahead in time.

Jedevrai
Iwill have to
Tudevras
Youwill have to
Ildevra
Hewill have to
Nousdevrons
Wewill have to
Vousdevrez
Youwill have to
Ilsdevront
Theywill have to

Imparfait

Imperfect — repeated habits in the past, background description, and actions still in progress when something else occurred.

Jedevais
Iwas having to
Tudevais
Youwere having to
Ildevait
Hewas having to
Nousdevions
Were having to
Vousdeviez
Youwere having to
Ilsdevaient
Theywere having to

Impératif présent

Present imperative — direct commands and friendly requests; only tu, nous, and vous person forms exist.

(Tu)dois
Youhave to
(Nous)devons
Wehave to
(Vous)devez
Youhave to

Participe présent

Present participle — the -ant form in subordinate clauses, compound tenses, and many fixed expressions.

devant
having to

Gérondif présent

Gerund with en + present participle — simultaneous action, manner, or cause while something else is going on.

en devant
having to

Similar conjugation models (Irregular)

PouvoirCanSavoirTo knowVouloirTo want
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