devrait

Devrait is the third-person singular present conditional form of the French verb devoir, meaning to owe or to must in a softened sense. In practice, il devrait often translates as “he should” or “he ought to,” but the same form applies to other subjects when the sentence is in the conditional mood. The full paradigm in the present conditional is je devrais, tu devrais, il devrait, nous devrions, vous devriez, ils devraient.

Usage and meaning

Devrait is widely used to give advice, express mild obligation, or indicate probability or supposition. Examples: Tu devrais étudier davantage (You should study more). Il devrait pleuvoir demain (It should rain tomorrow). Ce livre devrait t’aider (This book should help you). In these senses, it conveys a softer or more hypothetical tone than the stronger obligation implied by devoir in the present tense (je dois, tu dois).

Negation and syntax

Negation is formed with ne… pas: Il ne devrait pas quitter maintenant. When paired with an infinitive, the structure is primarily il devrait + infinitive: Il devrait partir bientôt. Devrait is not typically used with ne and a following clause introduced by que; for advice or obligation with a clause, French often uses other constructions (e.g., il faut que, il faudrait que).

Relation to other forms

Devrais, devrais, devrait, devrions, devriez, devraient comprise the standard present conditional endings built on the irregular stem devr- from devoir. This contrasts with the present indicative forms (dois, dois, doit, devons, devez, doivent) that express stronger obligation. Etymologically, the term derives from Old French devoir, with the conditional mood developing in Middle French.

Pronunciation

In standard French, devrait is pronounced roughly as [də.vʁɛ]. The final -t is silent in ordinary speech.