italiano · A2 · verb · 4 minutes
Dovere: present tense
Express obligation, advice, and probability with a following infinitive.
Understand the choice
Dovere carries the person and leaves the required action in the infinitive. Context distinguishes an obligation from a deduction such as deve essere a casa.
Core rule: Dovere is irregular and takes a direct infinitive; dovere + infinitive can mark necessity or probability.
Notice it in context
Devo partire adesso, ma voi dovete aspettare qui.
I must leave now, but you have to wait here.
Devo and dovete match different subjects; partire and aspettare remain infinitives.
Dobbiamo prenotare entro venerdì.
We must book by Friday.
Dobbiamo carries noi; prenotare is the required action.
È tardi: deve essere già a casa.
It is late: she must already be home.
Deve expresses a logical deduction.
What to remember
- Non dovere can mean must not or not need to depending on context; non è necessario is clearer for no need.
- The conditional dovrei means I should.
Common trap: Do not conjugate both verbs: dovete aspettare.