contrast.deber-deber-de

Deber vs deber de: must (duty) vs must (guess)

Deber + infinitive = obligation (debes llegar a las ocho); deber de + infinitive = probability (debe de estar durmiendo). Speech blurs it; writing shouldn't.

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contrastB2stubdraftv0.1.0

Erklärung

The norm assigns duty to the bare verb and inference to deber de: debe pagar (he must pay — obligation) vs debe de ganar bien (he must earn well — guess).

Real usage drops the de constantly, so context decides; but producing the distinction marks careful Spanish. The negative inference: no debe de saber ('he probably doesn't know').

Beispiele

Los socios deben firmar ambos.
Both partners must sign.

Region: global

No contesta; debe de estar en el avión.
He's not answering; he must be on the plane.

Region: global

Verwandte Regeln