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Elle doit faire ses devoirs après le dîner.

Elle doit faire ses devoirs après le dîner.
She has to do her homework after dinner.
FromLesson 25inHardcore French

Questions & Answers about Elle doit faire ses devoirs après le dîner.

What does the verb doit mean here, and what’s its conjugation?

It’s the 3rd person singular present of devoir (a semi‑auxiliary), meaning “has to” or “must.” Present conjugation:

  • je dois
  • tu dois
  • il/elle/on doit
  • nous devons
  • vous devez
  • ils/elles doivent
Why is faire in the infinitive?
After modal/semi‑auxiliary verbs like devoir, the next verb stays in the infinitive. So elle doit faire = “she has to do.”
Why is it ses devoirs and not les devoirs, son devoir, or des devoirs?
  • ses devoirs = “her homework.” ses is the possessive “her” for plural nouns.
  • les devoirs would mean “the homework” (definite/specific, not necessarily hers).
  • son devoir would mean either “her duty” or “one piece of homework.”
  • des devoirs (“some homework”) is grammatically fine but rarely used here; French usually says faire ses devoirs for “do homework.”
Does ses agree with the possessor (elle) or with the noun?

With the noun. ses is used because devoirs is plural. The possessor’s gender doesn’t change the form; only the noun’s gender/number does:

  • son devoir (singular masculine)
  • sa copie (singular feminine)
  • ses devoirs (plural)
Why is devoirs plural for “homework”?
In French, school “homework” is typically plural: les devoirs. Think “assignments” rather than an uncountable mass noun. Hence faire ses devoirs.
Does devoir here mean “to owe” or “probability” too?

Not in this sentence—it’s obligation. But note:

  • Owe: Je te dois 10 € (I owe you €10).
  • Probability/strong supposition: Elle doit être fatiguée (She must be tired / She’s probably tired).
Why is it après le dîner with the article? Could I say après dîner?
After the preposition après, meal names usually take the definite article: après le dîner. You can also say après dîner (no article), which is a bit leaner/stylish; both are correct. Do not say après du dîner—après doesn’t take de here.
Is the word order fixed? Can I put the time first?

You can front the time phrase for emphasis:

  • Après le dîner, elle doit faire ses devoirs. This is common and natural. With it at the end (original sentence), it’s neutral.
How do I make it negative, and what’s the difference between “must not” and “doesn’t have to” in French?
  • Prohibition: Elle ne doit pas faire ses devoirs après le dîner. = She must not do her homework after dinner.
  • Lack of necessity: don’t use ne doit pas. Say:
    • Elle n’a pas besoin de faire ses devoirs… or
    • Elle n’est pas obligée de faire ses devoirs…
How can I ask this as a yes/no question?

Three common ways:

How do I say it in other tenses (had to, will have to, should)?
  • Past (completed obligation): Elle a dû faire ses devoirs… (she had to…)
  • Future: Elle devra faire ses devoirs… (she will have to…)
  • Conditional (advice/soft obligation): Elle devrait faire ses devoirs… (she should/ought to…)
Could I express the same idea with il faut?

Yes, with the subjunctive:

  • Il faut qu’elle fasse ses devoirs après le dîner. This sounds impersonal (“it’s necessary that…”). Elle doit… is a direct obligation on her.
If I replace “homework” with a pronoun, where does it go?

Before the infinitive:

  • Elle doit les faire après le dîner. (les = ses devoirs) Not: ❌ Elle les doit faire…
Does French allow dropping the subject like Spanish? Could I omit elle?
No. French requires an explicit subject pronoun: Elle doit… You can’t drop elle.
Does elle ever mean “it”?
Yes, when referring back to a feminine noun (e.g., la voiture, la table). In this sentence, elle means “she.” Context decides.
Pronunciation tips for the sentence?
  • elle doit: [ɛl dwa] (oi = [wa])
  • faire: [fɛʁ]
  • ses devoirs: [se dəvwaʁ] (final -s silent)
  • après: [apʁɛ]
  • le dîner: [lə dine] French r is uvular [ʁ]. Say it lightly; no liaison is needed here.
Anything to know about spelling of dîner?
Traditionally it’s spelled with î: dîner. Since the 1990 reform, diner is also accepted, but dîner remains very common.
Does the meal word change by region?
Yes. In France, le dîner = evening meal. In Belgian and Canadian French, the evening meal is often le souper, and le dîner can mean the midday meal. So you might hear après le souper in Canada.]
How can I emphasize “her own” homework?
Add propres: Elle doit faire ses propres devoirs après le dîner. This removes any ambiguity that the homework might belong to someone else.
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“How does grammatical gender work in French?”
Every French noun is either masculine or feminine, and this affects the articles and adjectives used with it. "Le" is used with masculine nouns and "la" with feminine ones. Adjectives also change form to match — for example, "petit" (masc.) becomes "petite" (fem.).

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