deber
Lemma Details
Translation: to owe; to have to; to must; to be obliged to; to be indebted
Part of Speech: verb
Etymology: Deber comes from Latin 'debēre', meaning 'to owe'. This Latin term is a contraction of 'de habere', literally 'to have from' or 'to hold from another'. The English words 'debt', 'debit', and 'due' share this same Latin root. The evolution from 'debēre' to 'deber' follows typical Spanish phonological patterns where the Latin '-ere' ending becomes '-er' in Spanish.
Commonality: 95%
Guessability: 80%
Register: neutral
Example Usage
Mnemonics
- Think of 'debt' in English - when you owe something, you have a debt.
- Remember 'debe' sounds like 'debit' - money that is owed or taken from an account.
- For the obligation meaning, think: 'I debit myself with responsibilities.'
Synonyms
Cultural Context
In Spanish culture, 'deber' carries strong connotations of moral and social obligation. The noun form 'el deber' is often emphasized in educational contexts as part of character formation. The distinction between 'deber' (obligation) and 'deber de' (probability) is important in formal Spanish, though this distinction is often blurred in everyday speech.
Easily Confused With
Explanation: While 'deber' expresses obligation or duty, 'deber de' technically expresses probability or supposition. However, in everyday speech, many Spanish speakers use them interchangeably.
Confused word:
Debe de estar enfermo hoy.
He must be sick today (probably).
Notes: The Royal Spanish Academy acknowledges that the distinction between these forms is often blurred in practice, but maintains that the distinction is important in formal Spanish.
Mnemonic: Think: 'deber' = definite obligation; 'deber de' = deduction or probability
Explanation: Both are auxiliary verbs but serve different functions. 'Deber' expresses obligation while 'haber' is used to form perfect tenses.
This word:
Debes estudiar más.
You must study more.
Confused word:
Has estudiado mucho.
You have studied a lot.
Notes: Both verbs can be irregular in certain tenses and have similar forms in some conjugations.
Mnemonic: Deber = Duty, Haber = Has happened