To say should in Spanish, use debería (the conditional of deber) plus an infinitive: deberías descansar (you should rest), deberíamos salir (we should leave). The present tense debes is firmer, closer to 'must'. For 'should have', use debería haber plus a past participle: debería haber llamado (I should have called).
should = debería + infinitive (debes = must, tienes que = have to)- Conjugate deber & debería
- Give advice and recommendations
- Should vs must
How do you say should in Spanish? With debería + infinitive — the conditional of deber. Deberías descansar means "you should rest." Use debes (present) when the advice is firmer, debería haber + participle for "should have," and tener que when you mean "have to." That is the map; this guide fills in the roads.
I teach "should" right after "could" because they are built the same way: one verb, poder or deber, dropped into the conditional to make it soft. And "should" matters more than most grammar, because giving advice is how you become a person and not a tourist — deberías probar el ceviche makes a friend faster than any perfect preterite.
The big pictureWhen to use "should" in Spanish: advice, recommendation, expectation
- Advice and recommendations — Deberías llevar paraguas. (You should take an umbrella.) The classic use, and the softest.
- Mild obligation, a rule of good sense — Los niños deben dormir diez horas. (Children should sleep ten hours.) Present deber: firmer, more like "ought to."
- Expectation about what is probably true — El paquete debería llegar hoy. (The package should arrive today.) Not advice — a prediction.
- Regret about the past ("should have") — Debería haber reservado antes. (I should have booked earlier.)
Three of those four use the conditional; only the firmer, rule-like "should" uses the present. Keep that ratio in mind: debería is your default, and debes is the exception you reach for on purpose.
The formsDeber vs debería: the conjugation and the softness scale
"Should" is a form of deber + infinitive. The second verb never conjugates. What you choose is the tense of deber, and that choice sets the tone.
| Subject | DEBERÍA (conditional) = should | DEBER (present) = should / must | Example with debería |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | debería | debo | Debería llamar a mi madre. — I should call my mother. |
| tú | deberías | debes | Deberías pedir un aumento. — You should ask for a raise. |
| él / ella / usted | debería | debe | Usted debería ver a un médico. — You should see a doctor. |
| nosotros / nosotras | deberíamos | debemos | Deberíamos salir temprano. — We should leave early. |
| vosotros / vosotras (Spain) | deberíais | debéis | Deberíais probar la paella. — You should try the paella. |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | deberían | deben | Deberían pagar antes del viernes. — They should pay before Friday. |
Debería is just deber in the Spanish conditional tense: infinitive + -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían. Completely regular.
The softness scale: debes → deberías → podrías
Same sentence, three temperatures:
- Debes hablar con ella. — You must / really should talk to her. (Present: firm, sometimes bossy.)
- Deberías hablar con ella. — You should talk to her. (Conditional: advice between equals.)
- Podrías hablar con ella. — You could talk to her. (Suggestion: the gentlest.)
In Latin America especially, debes from a friend can feel like an order, so deberías is the everyday "should." The present tense is what you hear from a doctor, a parent or a sign.
"Should have": debería haber + participle
Regret and hindsight use debería haber + past participle: Deberías haber preguntado. (You should have asked.) Deberíamos haber salido antes. (We should have left earlier.) The participle is invariable: haber comido, haber ido, haber dicho. In speech you will also hear the imperfect, debías haber, and even the preterite, debiste — regional and common, but debería haber is the form that works everywhere.
Watch the lineDeber vs tener que: "should" vs "have to"
Students who learn tener que first sometimes use it for advice, and it comes out too strong. Tienes que dormir más is "you have to sleep more" — an external necessity. Deberías dormir más is "you should sleep more" — my opinion of what is good for you. Both are correct Spanish; only one is advice.
| Form | English | Strength | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| tener que + inf. | have to | Necessity, no choice | Tengo que renovar el pasaporte. — I have to renew my passport. |
| deber + inf. | must / should | Duty, rule, firm advice | Debes cuidar tu salud. — You must look after your health. |
| debería + inf. | should | Advice, opinion | Deberías cuidar tu salud. — You should look after your health. |
In real lifeShould in Spanish: examples from travel, work and family
When you give advice, soften the landing the way natives do: Yo que tú, … (If I were you, …) + conditional. Yo que tú, aceptaría el trabajo. It signals "this is only my opinion," and if you then add deberías, it sounds like a friend, not a supervisor.
From the classroomCommon mistakes English speakers make with "should"
- Using debes for casual advice. Debes probar este vino can sound like a command. With friends and colleagues, use Deberías probar este vino.
- Conjugating the second verb. Deberías vas al médico is the number one beginner error. After debería the next verb is the infinitive: Deberías ir al médico.
- Building "should have" with a conjugated past. Debería llamé does not exist. It is debería haber llamado — haber plus participle, always.
- Translating "should" as "tener que." Tienes que ver esa película is "you have to see that movie" — enthusiastic, but it is not "should." For a recommendation, Deberías ver esa película.
- Asking "should I?" with the future. ¿Iré? means "will I go?" To ask for advice, use the conditional: ¿Debería ir? — or the very common ¿Voy o no voy?
Don't mix them upShould vs must in Spanish
"Should" and "must" share the verb deber, and the tense is what separates them. Debes (present) is closer to "must" — a duty or a rule. Deberías (conditional) is "should" — advice you are free to ignore. So Debes llegar a las ocho is "you must be there at eight," and Deberías llegar a las ocho is "you should be there at eight, but I'm not your boss."
When "must" is a plain necessity — a deadline, a visa, a bus to catch — Spanish usually skips deber altogether and uses tener que: Tengo que estar a las ocho. And when "must" is a deduction ("she must be tired"), it becomes debe de estar cansada or the future of probability. Both of those live in my guide to must in Spanish.
The gentlest option of all, podrías, is the conditional of poder, which I cover under could in Spanish. Should, must, could, may, might — one family, one logic: pick the verb, then pick the tense for the tone. The full set is in my overview of Spanish modal verbs.
PracticeQuick quiz: should in spanish
Six questions from the lesson. Answer in your head, then open to check.
