How to Say "Should Be" in French

devrait être

The English phrase "should be" is translated into French as devrait être.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of the verb devoir in the conditional mood (devrait) and the infinitive être (to be).

While devrait être expresses a suggestion or probability (should be), doit être expresses a stronger necessity or certainty (must be).

The verb devrait changes to devraient when the subject is third person plural (they).

The French verb être is a linguistic hybrid that merged two different Latin verbs, essere and stāre, into one single word.
The French verb devoir used in devrait can also mean 'to owe money', creating a double meaning of obligation.
While devrait être is used for probability, French speakers often use the simple present est where an English speaker would insist on 'should be'.

Ça devrait être bon !
This should be good!
This sentence is useful for expressing that something is expected to be good using devrait être.
Tatoeba #1684576 by sacredceltic, translation #1683864 by Spamster
Ça devrait être ainsi.
It should be like this.
This sentence is useful for stating how a situation should be using devrait être.
Tatoeba #4898428 by sacredceltic, translation #505900 by CK
Ça devrait être mieux.
It should be better.
This sentence is useful for expressing that something should be improved using devrait être.
Tatoeba #8548113 by Aiji, translation #3994373 by AlanF_US
Il faut que vous soyez attentif aux détails.
You should be attentive to details.
Tu devrais être plus patient.
You should be more patient.
Il faudrait que vous soyez plus responsable.
You should be more responsible.
145 more sentences on Tatoeba

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