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Today'ersus conversational Latin American Spanish lesson addresses studying Spanish grammar and vocabulary terms. Specifically, we're going to study different ways of expressing obligation in Spanish.
The first and most obviuos choice may be the verb "deber". When used in this particular way, "deber" is frequently equivalent in meaning to the English "must", "should" or "ought":
Debes estudiar mucho en el colegio. (You ought to study a lot at school)
Alguien debería hablar de todo esto. (Someone should have to talk about almost all this particular)
No debe dormirse después de comer. (He shouldn'capital t go to sleep after eating)
The tone of "deber" expressing obligation is actually very powerful and could be softened by using the conditional form instead of the present tense, to make it a lot more polite:
¿Por qué debería comprar un lavaplatos? (The reason why should I must buy a dishwasher?)
Deberíamos salir. (We ought to to get going.)
El gobierno debería concentrar su atención en los desempleados. (The government should focus it's attention on the unemployed.)
It will be possible that you will hear native speakers using "deber de". Nonetheless, this kind of use of "deber" is actually considered substandard by some grammarians and is most likely best avoided by people who are understanding the language.
The verb "tener que" is another common for expressing obligation. "Tener que" and "deber" are generally interchangeable. Nevertheless, "tener que" typically expresses a stronger sense of obligation. Note that "tener" is actually conjugated irregularly. "Deber", nevertheless, will be conjugated often.
Tengo que ayudar en las reparaciones. Debo ayudar en las reparaciones. (I need to help with the repairs.)
Tenemos que estudiar la historia de Estados Unidos. Debemos estudiar la historia de Estados Unidos. (We must study U.S. history.)
Tuvo que irse a trabajar. Debió irse a trabajar. (She had to go to work.)
The phrase "no tener más remedio que" will be one of the most common ways of expressing extremely robust obligation, and you may find it very useful:
No tiene más remedio que decir la verdad. (He completely provides to tell the truth.)
No me personally dejas otra alternativa y no tengo más remedio que aceptar. (You leave me no other choice, and I must accept.)
A general sense of obligation is often expressed impersonally. Where English says "you should"," a single ought to", and so on., Spanish would typically use a great expression with "se". Study these illustrations:
Se debe seguir las instrucciones con cuidado". (One should follow directions carefully)
Se necesita tener experiencia. (You ought to have experience)
Finally, "Hay que" will be a common way expressing external obligation, both formally and informally. It can be used in all tenses, and is definitely followed through the infinitive, so it's a single in the easiest constructions:
Hay que saber qué pasa en el mundo. (A single should know what happens in the world)
Había que atravesar la región a pie. (You had to go throughout the region on feet)
Today, for more practice, translate the following examples into Spanish:
1) Which car should I buy? 2) One will have to wait till tomorrow. 3) One particular ought to maintain history in mind. 4) One (you) shouldn'big t step on the grass. 5) I have to wait until the bank opens. 6) We must speak clearly relating to this subject. 7) Today I need to work right up until late. 8) You should go to the doctor because soon as achievable.
Answers:
1) ¿Que carro debo comprar? two) Habrá que esperar hasta mañana. 3) Hay que tener en cuenta la historia. 4) No se debe pisar el césped. 5) No tengo más remedio que esperar hasta que abra el banco. 6) Debemos hablar claramente de este tema. 7) Hoy tengo que trabajar hasta tarde. 8) Deberías ir al doctor lo antes posible.
This concludes our conversational Latin American Spanish lesson which covered studying Spanish grammar and vocabulary words.
Anna River is a native Spanish speaker through Buenos Aires, Argetina. She is another Spanish instructor and the creator of two studying Spanish guides. If you would like to get FREE immediate download use of the MP3 audio and PDF transcripts to her Spanish lessons totally free AND read her reviews from the most popular learning-Spanish products, then visit her web page now so as to: learn Spanish online.
