Personal Obligation and Advice with "Deber"
While hay que is used for general rules ("one must"), you can use the verb deber (must / should) to tell specific people what they need to do. To give advice or state a personal obligation, simply conjugate deber and follow it with an infinitive verb.
| You must avoid stress because you are weak. | Debes evitar el estrés porque estás débil. |
| You must take your medicine and your vitamins. | Usted debe tomar su medicina y sus vitaminas. |
Conjugating "Deber"
Deber is a regular -er verb. Here is how you conjugate it to match the person you are talking to or about:
| Subject | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | debo |
| tú | debes |
| él / ella / usted | debe |
| nosotros / nosotras | debemos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | deben |
Notice how easily it pairs with infinitives to give health and wellness advice:
| To take care of your heart, you must have a healthy diet. | Para cuidar el corazón, debes tener una dieta saludable. |
| For a healthy body, you must avoid sugar. | Para un cuerpo saludable, debes evitar el azúcar. |
| You must breathe deeply to rest your body. | Debes respirar profundo para descansar el cuerpo. |
Asking for Advice
You can also use deber in questions to ask what you or someone else should do in a given situation.
| Should I take the vitamins with these pills? | ¿Debo tomar las vitaminas con estas pastillas? |
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