deber

To do as a requirement; indicates that the sentence subject is required as an imperative or directive to execute the sentence predicate, with failure to do so resulting in a failure or negative consequence.

How to use

In formal and informal contexts, 'deber' is used to indicate a requirement or obligation, often with a sense of moral or social duty. For example, 'Deberías estudiar más' (You should study more) implies that the speaker believes the listener is not meeting their academic responsibilities. However, 'deber' can also be used in a more general sense, as in 'Debería ir al médico' (I should go to the doctor), where the speaker is simply expressing a personal preference. One common learner mistake is to use 'deber' in the present tense to describe a habitual action, when in fact the correct form would be the conditional tense.