Debió

Debió is the third-person singular form of the Spanish verb deber in the pretérito perfecto simple (pretérito). It can indicate a past obligation or expectation, and it is also used to express probability or deduction about a past event. The accent on the i helps distinguish this form from the present tense “debo” and other conjugations.

In its sense of obligation, debió often corresponds to “he/she/it had to” or “he/she/it should have” in a past context. For example: “Ayer debió ir al médico” can mean “He should have gone to the doctor” or “He must have gone to the doctor,” depending on context. In its probabilistic sense, debió can convey assumption about a past fact using a structure such as debió de + infinitive, or simply debió + infinitive: “Debió de llegar a las ocho” or “Debió llegar a las ocho,” both signaling that something probably happened.

Related forms include the other tenses of deber (debo, debes, debe, debimos, debéis, deben) and the imperfect subjunctive and auxiliary constructions (debería, debería haber...). The word is derived from the Latin debēre, meaning “to owe” or “to be obligated.”

Usage notes: debió is widely used in written and spoken Spanish. In some dialects, especially in Spain, the construction debió de + infinitive is common to emphasize probability in the past, but both debió haber + participle and debió de haber + participle are understood. Correct spelling requires the acute accent on í to avoid confusion with other forms.