Dovevi

Dovevi is the second-person singular imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb dovere, meaning you were obliged to or you were supposed to. It is used to express past obligation, expectation, or a recollected duty.

Dovere is an irregular verb with a regular imperfect conjugation pattern aside from its stem. The imperfect forms are io dovevo, tu dovevi, lui/lei doveva, noi dovevamo, voi dovevate, loro dovevano. In modern Italian, dovevi typically appears in informal or written contexts to describe duties or expectations in the past, or to convey habitual obligations.

Usage and nuances

Dovevi conveys that a duty or expectation existed at a past time, but it does not by itself indicate whether the obligation was fulfilled. It often appears in contexts of narration, memory, or direct speech. By contrast, the passato prossimo form hai dovuto expresses that the obligation was fulfilled or that the action occurred in the past. For example, Dovevi studiare ieri, but Hai dovuto studiare ieri would imply you did study because you had the obligation.

Examples

- Dovevi prendere il treno alle otto, ma sei arrivato in ritardo. (You were supposed to take the train at eight, but you arrived late.)

- Quando eri bambino, dovevi andare a letto presto. (When you were a child, you had to go to bed early.)

- Mi hai detto che dovevi venire, ma non sei venuto. (You told me you had to come, but you didn’t.)

Etymology

Dovere derives from Latin debere (to owe, must). Italian, as with other Romance languages, retains the modal meaning of obligation across its forms.