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Old May 13, 2009, 06:00 PM
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AngelicaDeAlquezar AngelicaDeAlquezar is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Mexico City
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Native Language: Mexican Spanish
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bmarquis124 View Post
I always thought deber meant 'should' but in these examples, should and must come across differently. So how would you say should instead of must?

There are no automatic translations, but I agree with Hernán that "debería" is a good one for this kind of sentences.


It's late. I should be finishing my work by now.
Es tarde. Ya debería de estar terminando mi trabajo.

You shouldn't be so rude.
No deberías ser tan grosero.


@Poli: Thank you.
Just a little note: it's not only "deber de" + haberse...

El teléfono suena. Debe de ser Juan.
The telephone is ringing. It must be Juan.

Son las siete. La tienda ya debe de estar cerrada.
It's already seven o'clock. The store must be already closed.
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