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FrenchConjugationImparfait

Devoir (must) · Imparfait

By TutorLily Editorial Team · Last updated

Devoir in the French imparfait is: je devais, tu devais, il/elle/on devait, nous devions, vous deviez, ils/elles devaient. The imparfait of devoir describes habitual past obligation or ongoing probability: 'je devais partir à 7h chaque matin' (I had to leave at 7 every morning). Regular from 'devons' → 'dev-'.

devoir conjugation in the Imparfait
To Have ToDevoir
I used to have to
je devais
you used to have to
tu devais
he/she used to have to
il/elle/on devait
we used to have to
nous devions
you used to have to
vous deviez
they used to have to
ils/elles devaient
Examples

Devoir (must) in context

Sentences that use devoir in the imparfait. Tap each to hear it.

Chaque matin je devais prendre le bus.

Every morning I had to take the bus.

Tu devais venir hier, n'est-ce pas?

You were supposed to come yesterday, right?

Il devait travailler le weekend.

He had to work on weekends.

Nous devions être plus prudents à cette époque.

We had to be more careful in those days.

Vous deviez étudier davantage.

You had to study more.

Ils devaient rendre les livres avant la fin du mois.

They had to return the books before the end of the month.

Tip

Working with the imparfait

The imparfait paints the background of a past scene: weather, age, habits, descriptions, ongoing actions that get interrupted. "Il faisait nuit" (it was nighttime), "j'avais cinq ans" (I was five years old), "je marchais quand tu m'as appelé" (I was walking when you called me). The imparfait is almost completely regular — the stem comes from the nous form of the present (nous parlons → je parlais), with only être being truly irregular (j'étais). The contrast with passé composé is the single most important past-tense distinction in French: imparfait = background or habitual; passé composé = completed event.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How do you conjugate devoir in the imparfait?
Devoir is regular in the imparfait: je devais, tu devais, il/elle/on devait, nous devions, vous deviez, ils/elles devaient. Stem 'dev-' from nous form.
What does 'tu devais + infinitive' mean?
'Tu devais + infinitive' can mean 'you were supposed to + verb' — an unfulfilled past obligation or expectation: 'tu devais m'appeler' (you were supposed to call me — and didn't). It's gentler than the passé composé 'tu as dû m'appeler' (which is more about completed obligation or past probability). The imparfait of devoir is the standard French way to reference broken plans or expectations.
When do I use 'je devais' instead of 'j'ai dû'?
Use 'je devais' for habitual past obligation or expected plans: 'chaque matin, je devais partir à 7h' (every morning, I had to leave at 7). Use 'j'ai dû' for a specific one-time obligation: 'ce matin, j'ai dû partir à 7h' (this morning, I had to leave at 7). For unfulfilled past plans, the imparfait wins: 'tu devais venir, mais...' (you were supposed to come, but...).
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More tenses of Devoir (Must)

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Devoir (must) · Passé Composé
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Devoir (must) · Subjonctif

More verbs in imparfait

All tenses
Devoir (must)
imparfait
Être (to be)
imparfait
Avoir (to have)
imparfait
Aller (to go)
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