Deber + DE + Infinitive. Incorrect Spanish or indicates probability?
Hello. I am wondering about Deber + DE + Infinitive. I just got through answering a question and this came up. Spanish.about.com says that it is incorrect Spanish. Our own website's dictionary lists Deber + De as probability. Wordreference lists Deber + DE + Infinitive as Probability or Possibility. I was thinking like this:
- Tener que + Infinitive
- Deber + Infinitive
- Debería + Infinitive
- Deber DE + Infinitve
As the order of priority with "I have to go" and was told that Deber DE is incorrect. Many people on Wordreference AND this website (Spanishdict.com) list it as probability IE Debo de irme should mean "I probably need to go" but as many sites list it as correct Spanish, there are equal sites that say it is incorrect Spanish. Can anyone provide any insight? Gracias
1 Answer
About.com did not say that it was incorrect Spanish. What it said was when it was used as a substitute for deber in the context of tener que, etc. that it was substandard. It said that it was acceptable for stating probability.
Read more closely.
Note: It is possible that you will hear native speakers substitute deber de for deber when expressing obligation. However, this use of deber is considered substandard by some grammarians and is probably best avoided by those who are learning the language. (The accepted way to use deber de is to express likelihood. Example: Debe de llover en Managua, it must be raining in Managua.)
