dobbiamo

Dobbiamo is the first-person plural present indicative form of the Italian verb dovere, meaning to owe or to must have to. It is used to express obligation, necessity, or duty in the present tense and is combined with another verb in the infinitive to indicate what is required.

Grammatical notes: dovere is irregular in many tenses, but dobbiamo is the standard form for noi (we) in the present. It can be followed by an infinitive (dobbiamo studiare, dobbiamo partire) to express a required action, and it can take a direct object pronoun (dobbiamo farlo, dobbiamo pagarlo).

Nuances: while primarily signaling obligation, dovere can also convey moral obligation or logical necessity. In some contexts, dobbiamo can express debt or responsibility toward someone, as in ti dobbiamo una scusa (we owe you an apology).

Etymology: Italian dovere derives from the Latin debēre, meaning to owe or to be obliged. Dobbiamo reflects this lineage in the present tense form for the first-person plural.

Usage: dobbiamo appears in everyday speech, journalism, and literature to indicate shared obligation or required action. It is commonly contrasted with other expressions of necessity such as bisogna, occorre, or è necessario, which carry different nuance.

See also: dovere (the verb), obbligo. Examples: Dobbiamo partire ora. Dobbiamo finire questo lavoro entro stasera. Dobbiamo pagare entro lunedì. Ti dobbiamo una scusa.