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Tu dois faire ça. | |
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Needy French Phrases
The French verb devoir, “to be necessary,” is found in various expressions, including to be indebted, to befit one’s rank, and to set about doing. Learn these and more French expressions featuring devoir.
Devoir translations
- to be bound to
- to be expected to
- to be necessary to
- to have to
- must
- to owe
In the conditional, devoir has an additional meaning – learn more.
Expressions with devoir
à qui doit-on + noun | whom do we have to thank for … who discovered … |
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Ça devrait pouvoir se faire. | That should be possible. | ||
Cela devait arriver. | It was bound to happen. | ||
Les choses semblent devoir s’arranger. | Things seem be be sorting themselves out. | ||
devoir qqchose à qqun | to owe someone something | ||
devoir une fière chandelle à | (informal) | to be greatly indebted to | |
Dois-je comprendre par là que … | Am I to understand from this that … | ||
dû à son rang | befitting one’s rank | ||
Il est de mon devoir de … | (formal) | It is my (solemn) duty to | |
Je leur dois la vie / d’être en vie. | I owe them my life. | ||
Je te dois bien ça. | It’s the least I can do for you. | ||
ne rien devoir au hasard | to have nothing to do with luck, to owe nothing to chance | ||
se mettre en devoir de | to proceed to do, set about doing | ||
se devoir | (reflexive) (reciprocal) |
to owe it to oneself to owe it to each other |
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se devoir à | to have a duty to to have to be committed to |
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se devoir de + infinitive | to have a duty to, be duty bound to | ||
comme il se doit | naturally, of course, as was right and proper |
Related lessons
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