Conjugate deber in the imperfect tense in Spanish (El Pretérito Imperfecto)

Written by qualified Spanish expert Silvia Piriz BA

Last updated: 2021-10-15

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Deber (must/have to) is regular in El Pretérito Imperfecto.

Learn how to conjugate "deber" in El Pretérito Imperfecto in Spanish

yo	debía
tú	debías
él / ella / Ud.	debía
nosotros / nosotras	debíamos
vosotros / vosotras	debíais
ellos / ellas / Uds.	debían

Read and listen to these examples:

Yo debía ir a la escuela todos los días.I had to go to school every day.

Tú debías acompañar a tu abuela a la calle.You had to accompany your grandmother outside.

Él debía leer muchos libros.He had to read many books.

Nosotros debíamos jugar al fútbol sin rodilleras.We had to play football without kneepads.

Vosotras debíais escribir con la mano izquierda.You had to write with your left hand.

Ustedes debían llevar una botella de agua.You had to bring a bottle of water.

Look how in the examples deber is always followed by an infinitive. We use deber in El Pretérito Imperfecto combined with another verb to express what "you had to do in the past" or what "you used to have to do in the past"

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