dovere

Dovere is a common Italian verb with two main functions. It expresses obligation or necessity, translated as must or have to, and it can also mean to owe something, as in debt. When used to indicate obligation, dovere is often followed by an infinitive (devo fare, devi studiare). In the past it combines with avere to form compound tenses (ho dovuto, hai dovuto). The noun dovere means a duty or obligation, and the participle dovuto is used in compound tenses and in adjectives.

Conjugation and key forms. In the present indicative the forms are devo, devi, deve, dobbiamo, dovete, devono. The imperfect is dovevo, dovevi, doveva, dovevamo, dovevate, dovevano. The future forms are dovrò, dovrai, dovrà, dovremo, dovrete, dovranno. The conditional present is dovrei, dovresti, dovrebbe, dovremmo, dovreste, dovrebbero. The present subjunctive is debba, debba, debba, dobbiamo, dobbiate, debbano, while the imperfect subjunctive uses dovessi, dovessi, dovesse, dovessimo, doveste, dovessero. The past participle is dovuto, used with avere in compound tenses (ho dovuto, hai dovuto, ha dovuto, ecc.). For negative or interrogative sentences, the same forms apply with non or question words.

Usage notes. Dovere is primarily a modal verb expressing obligation, with nuances from strong obligation (devo – I must) to polite advice (dovrebbe – he/she should). It can also express necessity in general statements or impersonal constructions, often replaced by bisogna in informal contexts. In the sense of owing money, it means to owe someone an amount (Ti devo dieci euro). The verb is highly productive in all tenses, with the full range of indicative, subjunctive, and compound tenses used in everyday Italian.