devoir at C1 — refined & idiomatic
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Promises kept, debts refused, credit given.
The idioms of devoir
Devoir is not only obligation: its best-known phrases are frozen ones. « Chose promise, chose due » is what you say as you hand over exactly what you promised — warm, slightly playful, and impossible to improvise. « Ne rien devoir à personne » is a point of pride: I asked for no favours, so nobody owns me and nobody can call anything in.
« On lui doit » hands out credit: « on lui doit la pénicilline », we have him to thank for it. And the past conditional « tu aurais dû » is pure reproach, softer than a raised voice but unmistakable. Between friends it lands hard, so pick your moment; in an email to a client, soften it or drop it altogether.
💡 Focus at this level: Idiomatic — chose promise chose due, ne rien devoir à personne, on lui doit
👨🏫 How to use « devoir » at this level
1. « Chose promise, chose due » = a promise is a promise. Said as you deliver.
2. « Ne rien devoir à personne » = to be beholden to no one. Proud.
3. « On lui doit » = we have him to thank for. Credit-giving.
🔊 Example sentences
✍️ Practice
Finish the proverb as you hand over what you promised: « chose promise, chose… »
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« …due » — chose promise, chose due closes the loop: the promise has just been paid.
Make it a reproach: « Tu ne m’as pas prévenu. »
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« Tu aurais dû me prévenir. » — the past conditional of devoir is the standard soft reproach.
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