Dovrai

Dovrai is the second-person singular future indicative form of the Italian verb dovere, meaning to be obliged or to have to do something. It conveys that in the future the subject will be required to perform an action, roughly translating to you will have to or you must.

Dovere is a semi-modal verb in Italian, and its future forms follow a regular -r- stem pattern: io dovrò, tu dovrai, lui dovrà, noi dovremo, voi dovrete, loro dovranno. The past participle is dovuto, used with avere to form compound tenses (ho dovuto, hai dovuto, ha dovuto, ecc.). The verb is commonly contrasted with present forms like devi (you must) or should be used with different nuances, for example with dovresti (you should).

Usage and meaning: dovrai indicates a future obligation or necessity from the speaker’s perspective. It can refer to duties imposed by external requirements, planning, or anticipated circumstances. Negative and interrogative forms are common: non dovrai preoccuparti (you won’t have to worry), Dovrai venire anche tu? (Will you have to come too?).

Examples:

- Domani dovrai presentare il rapporto.

- Non dovrai pagare nulla.

Etymology: dovere comes from the Latin debēre, meaning to owe or ought. Through phonetic and morphological development in Italian, the verb acquired the modern modern conjugation and the future tense forms, including dovrà, dovrò, and dovrai.

See also: dovere, poter, volere (modal verbs) and related expressions of obligation in Italian.