Devoir (must) · Passé Composé
By TutorLily Editorial Team · Last updated
Devoir in the French passé composé is: j'ai dû, tu as dû, il/elle/on a dû, nous avons dû, vous avez dû, ils/elles ont dû. The passé composé of devoir uses AVOIR + the participle 'dû' (with circumflex accent on the yo to distinguish from 'du' article). 'J'ai dû partir tôt' = 'I had to leave early'.
| To Have To | Devoir |
|---|---|
| I had to | j'ai dû |
| you had to | tu as dû |
| he/she had to | il/elle/on a dû |
| we had to | nous avons dû |
| you had to | vous avez dû |
| they had to | ils/elles ont dû |
Devoir (must) in context
Sentences that use devoir in the passé composé. Tap each to hear it.
I had to leave early yesterday.
You must have been surprised seeing him.
He must have forgotten our meeting.
We had to walk home.
You must have seen this film.
They must have paid a lot for that car.
Working with the passé composé
The passé composé is French's dominant past tense — used in almost every spoken past reference ("j'ai mangé" = "I ate" or "I have eaten"). It's a COMPOUND tense formed with an auxiliary (avoir for most verbs, être for ~17 motion/state verbs and all reflexives) plus a past participle. Two things to memorise: which verbs take être (aller, venir, partir, sortir, arriver, monter, descendre, naître, mourir, rester, tomber, devenir, retourner, entrer, rentrer, passer, revenir — the so-called "house of être"), and agreement rules (être verbs agree with the subject; avoir verbs only agree with a preceding direct object).
Frequently asked questions
How do you form the passé composé of devoir?
Why does 'dû' have a circumflex accent?
Does 'j'ai dû partir' mean 'I had to' or 'I must have'?
Practice Devoir (Must) in real conversations
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