debieras

Debieras is the second-person singular imperfect subjunctive form of the Spanish verb deber, meaning "to owe" or "to ought/must." It is used in subordinate clauses to express hypothetical or non-real obligation, desire, doubt, or conjecture, often when the main clause is in a past or conditional frame. In everyday speech, it is commonly replaced by the present subjunctive debas or by the conditional form deberías.

Morphology and variants: The imperfect subjunctive has two widely used variants. The -ra form includes debiera, debieras, debiera, debiéramos, debierais, debieran. The -se form includes debiese, debieses, debiese, debiésemos, debieseis, debiesen. Debieras is the second-person singular member of these mood forms, and its use is largely determined by dialect and register.

Usage notes: Debieras appears most often in formal, literary, or regionally influenced Spanish. It conveys hypothetical or non-real obligation, such as in conditional or indirect-speech contexts, or in questions and clauses introduced by si or ojala. In contemporary, informal speech, speakers frequently substitute deberías (present conditional) or debas (present subjunctive), which can reduce the sense of temporal distance carried by the imperfect subjunctive.

Etymology: Debieras derives from the Latin debēre, meaning "to owe" or "to ought," and entered Spanish as deber with related subjunctive forms evolving over time.

See also: deber, subjunctive mood, imperfect subjunctive. Example: Si debieras elegir entre estas opciones, ¿cuál escogerías?