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If you feel you have to learn Italian before your long-awaited trip to Rome, or to talk to your Italian friends, you might as well start with the verb dovere, <\/em>which literally means \u201cto have to\u201d, \u201cto be obligated to\u201d and must; depending on the conjugation, it also encompasses the meanings of \u201cshould\u201d, \u201cbe supposed to\u201d and \u201cneed to\u201d.<\/p>\n Moreover, dovere <\/em>can in some contexts mean \u201cto owe\u201d and is also used as a noun: if I say something is il mio dovere <\/em>it means it is \u201cmy duty\u201d.<\/p>\n Make it your duty to master the dovere<\/em><\/strong> conjugation <\/strong>and you will really step up your Italian skills<\/a>!<\/p>\n In this post we\u2019ll learn how to use the Italian verb dovere <\/em>correctly, how to conjugate it in the main tenses used in speaking and writing, and when to use it in context with examples and a dialogue.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n Dovere<\/em> is an irregular verb of the second conjugation, so it does not follow the usual pattern for the verbs ending in -ere<\/em>. Later, we will look at all its conjugations in detail.<\/p>\n Dovere <\/em>is a transitive verb, which means it takes a direct object.<\/p>\n Dovere<\/em> is also a special kind of verb, one of those we call modal (or helping) verbs<\/strong>, just like volere<\/em><\/a> \u201c(to want\u201d or \u201chave the will to\u201d), sapere<\/em> (\u201cto know how to\u201d) and potere<\/em> (\u201cto be able to\u201d \/ \u201ccan\u201d). These verbs are always followed by another verb, and they define and describe the \u201cmode\u201d of the action.<\/p>\n In Italian, we call these verbi modali o servili.<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n In Italian, we use dovere <\/em>in all kinds of contexts. You can use it casually to say that you \u201cneed to\u201d ,\u201chave to\u201d or \u201cmust\u201d do something,<\/p>\n If you use it in the conditional form, (see below for full dovere<\/em> conjugation in the conditional) dovere <\/em>means \u201cshould\u201d.<\/p>\n In the meaning of \u201cto owe\u201d dovere <\/em>takes a direct object, which can be an actual object, usually money, or a figurative one, like an apology or a favour.<\/p>\n If you use it in the past, the passato prossimo <\/em>implies you paid your debt back. If you use the imperfetto, <\/em>on the other hand, it is unclear if you did pay or not.<\/p>\n Before looking at the conjugation of the verb, we need to clear some things up. These points will help you in choosing the correct helping verb for the compound tenses<\/a> (verbs formed by more than one word), and to really speak like a native!<\/p>\n As we just mentioned, a compound tense is formed by more than one word. Usually, it is made up of an auxiliary verb (essere<\/em> or avere<\/em>) and a past participle.<\/p>\n Knowing the conjugations of the auxiliary and the participle of the verb dovere <\/em>will allow you to form all the compound tenses\u2026 Isn\u2019t that great?<\/p>\n The past participle of the verb dovere <\/em>is dovuto<\/em><\/strong>. When we use the verb essere <\/em>as an auxiliary, it will change according to the number and gender of the subject:<\/p>\n Now that you know how to form the participle, let\u2019s look at the auxiliary verb you need to choose to build compound tenses.<\/p>\n Dovere<\/em> is a transitive verb, <\/strong>which means it always takes a direct object. With the meaning of \u201cto owe\u201d that we just saw, there is a true object (money, an apology, etc.). In this case, you will always use the verb avere <\/em>in compound tenses.<\/p>\n In the case of modal verbs, however, the object is always a verb. See the object in bold below:<\/p>\n When forming compound tenses, therefore, the modal verb dovere <\/em>can take both auxiliaries essere <\/em>(to be) and avere <\/em>(to have): <\/em><\/p>\n So, how do you choose between essere and avere?<\/p>\n Choosing to use the auxiliary essere <\/em>(to be) or avere <\/em>(to have) always depends on the verb that comes after dovere<\/em><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n Dovere<\/strong> is a helping verb, which means it will take the verb that the verb it is helping needs.<\/p>\n How do you know if a verb takes essere <\/em>(to be) or avere <\/em>(to have) in compound tenses? There are some general rules, but the easiest way to be sure is to check an Italian dictionary<\/a>! In brackets, after the verb, you will find \u201cauxiliary verb\u201d, which will tell you all you need to know!<\/p>\n TIP: <\/strong>Remember, if you use the auxiliary verb essere <\/em>(to be), the past participle of the compound tense will have to agree in gender and number with the subject! (In this case you will need to choose between dovuto, dovuta, dovuti, dovute.<\/em>)<\/p>\n Some examples:<\/p>\n When you use a modal verb followed by essere, <\/em>the auxiliary must be avere. <\/em><\/p>\n When used with reflexive verbs, the position of the personal pronoun dictates whether you use essere <\/em>or avere <\/em>as an auxiliary. If it is before, use essere, <\/em>if it is the suffix of the main verb, use avere.<\/em><\/p>\n Now, we\u2019re ready for the conjugations!<\/p>\n Now that we\u2019ve seen all the basics and learned when and how we can use the verb dovere <\/em>(and when we can\u2019t!), let\u2019s have a look at its conjugations.<\/p>\n Here, you\u2019ll find all the conjugations you need divided into levels<\/strong>: from beginners to advanced (and up to those tenses even some native Italian speakers get wrong!).<\/p>\n In the following tables, we will use the verb avere <\/em>(to have) as the auxiliary to build compound tenses.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t forget, though, that dovere<\/em> also takes essere <\/em>(to be) when the verb it is helping needs that auxiliary. (And do not forget to change the participle so that it agrees in gender and number with the subject!)<\/p>\n\n
\n<\/em> It is our duty to care for the planet we live on.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/a>Dovere: <\/em>What Kind of Verb Is It?<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Dovere<\/em>: When to Use<\/h2>\n
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\nI need to go to the toilet!<\/li>\n
\nWe must speak clearly if we want to understand each other.<\/li>\n
\n<\/em> You have to leave early if you don\u2019t want to find traffic.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\n<\/em> He should be more careful while driving.<\/li>\n
\n<\/em> Do you think I should text her?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/a>To Owe<\/h3>\n
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\nI owe you an apology.<\/li>\n
\nHe still owes me money.<\/li>\n
\nYou owe me a dinner.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nYou owed him money for a long time. (But you paid it back.)<\/li>\n
\n<\/em> You owed him money, right? (It is unclear whether you still do or not.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/a>Dovere <\/em>Conjugation with Compound Tenses<\/h2>\n
<\/a>The Past Participle of Dovere<\/em><\/h3>\n
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\nI had to…<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\n
\nI had to…<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\n
\nWe had to…<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
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\nWe had to…<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/a>Dovere<\/em> Conjugation: Compound Tenses<\/h3>\n
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\n<\/em> You never owed me money, you know that.<\/li>\n
\n<\/em> She knew she owed me an apology, but she pretended she didn\u2019t.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\n<\/em> Do you have to go to the bathroom?<\/li>\n
\nWe don\u2019t need to go.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nI had to…<\/li>\n
\n<\/em> We didn\u2019t have to…<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/a>Essere<\/em> or Avere<\/em>?<\/h3>\n
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\nNon <\/em>siamo dovute uscire<\/em><\/strong> tardi ieri sera.
\n<\/em> We didn\u2019t have to go out late last night.<\/li>\n
\nAvresti dovuto<\/em><\/strong> chiamarmi!<\/em>
\nYou should have called me!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/a>Some extra rules<\/h4>\n
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\n<\/em> I had to be clear.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nYou had to wash yourselves.<\/li>\n
\nYou had to wash yourselves.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/a>Dovere<\/em> Conjugation<\/h2>\n
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