Learn Spanish (Latin America): ¿Debo tomar las vitaminas con estas pastillas? - Should I take the vitamins with these pills?

¿Debo tomar las vitaminas con estas pastillas?

Should I take the vitamins with these pills?

Breakdown of ¿Debo tomar las vitaminas con estas pastillas?

Questions & Answers about ¿Debo tomar las vitaminas con estas pastillas?

Why does debo mean "should I" here instead of "must I"?

The verb deber expresses obligation or duty, so it can translate to "must", "ought to", or "should". When you are asking for someone's advice or instruction like in this sentence, "should" is the most natural way to translate ¿Debo...? into English.

Why is the second verb tomar left in its infinitive (unconjugated) form?

This is a standard rule in Spanish. When you use a phrase about obligation or advice, only the first verb (debo) is conjugated to match the person doing the action. The second verb (tomar) always stays in its infinitive form.

Can I use tomar for "taking" anything?

Not quite! While tomar often translates to "to take", it is mainly used for taking transportation, grabbing an object, or consuming drinks and medicine. You use tomar for pills and vitamins, but if you mean "take" as in "carry" or "bring someone along", you would use the verb llevar.

Why is it estas instead of estos?

Estas means "these" and must match the gender and number of the noun it describes. Since pastillas (pills) is feminine and plural, we use estas. Be careful not to confuse it with estás (with an accent mark), which means "you are"!