French · Everyday Verbs
"must (to have to)" in French: devoir
devoir
To have to / must in French is devoir. Say je dois and tu dois. Devoir marks obligation; need as wanting something uses avoir besoin de.
Leaving a party
Je dois rentrer, demain je travaille tôt.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce devoir
Say it
duh-VWAHR
/də.vwaʁ/
duh-VWAHR. Je dois is zhuh dwah. Soft r on devoir.
"must (to have to)" in French: quick reference
| French | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| devoir | to have to / must Infinitive. | Infinitive. |
| je dois | I must / I have to First person. | First person. |
| tu dois | you must / you have to Informal. | Informal. |
| on doit | we/you have to Everyday on. | Everyday on. |
How to use devoir in real life
- 1Leaving a party
Je dois rentrer, demain je travaille tôt.
I have to go home—I work early tomorrow.
Je dois.
- 2Reminder
Tu dois envoyer le mail avant midi.
You have to send the email before noon.
Tu dois.
- 3Shared chore
On doit sortir les poubelles ce soir.
We have to take out the trash tonight.
On doit.
Mistakes English speakers make with devoir
Incorrect: Je devoir partir.
Correct: Je dois partir.
Conjugate: je dois.
Incorrect: Je dois de dormir. (mixing with besoin)
Correct: Je dois dormir. / J'ai besoin de dormir.
Devoir takes an infinitive directly; besoin uses de.
Good to know
Je dois can sound firm. Soften with je dois peut-être or il faudrait. Homework is also called les devoirs—same root, different use.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Deciding whether to stay out later
ChatPal
Tu dois vraiment partir maintenant ?
Do you really have to leave now?
You
Oui, je dois prendre le dernier métro.
Yes, I have to catch the last metro.
ChatPal
D'accord. Moi je dois encore payer l'addition.
Okay. I still have to pay the bill.
You
Je t'attends deux minutes.
I'll wait two minutes.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"must (to have to)" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "must (to have to)" in French
How do you say I have to?
Je dois…
Is devoir the same as besoin?
No—devoir is obligation; avoir besoin de is need.
How do you conjugate tu?
Tu dois.
What are les devoirs?
Homework—related noun, different meaning.
Learn a word, then use it out loud
- Step 1: See it in context
- Step 2: Say it out loud
- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
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