“Ho dovuto” or “Dovevo”?
Some Italian verbs change meaning depending on the tense you use: passato prossimo or imperfetto.
These verbs include: dovere, volere, potere, and conoscere.
In this article, let’s look at just one: dovere.
Dovere usually means to have to or to be supposed to.
But the tense you use changes what actually happened.
1. Ho dovuto = I had to (and I did!)
This is the passato prossimo — the past tense we use when something happened and is finished.
- Ho dovuto lavorare. I had to work.
This means you had to do it… and you did it. The action is complete.
Remember: “Dovuto” can use both auxiliaries (avere or essere), depending on the verb that follows. Most of the time, you’ll see it with avere. Most of the time, you’ll see it with avere. However, when it’s followed by a verb that requires essere in compound tenses, don’t forget to make the agreement in gender and number.
- Siamo dovuti andare. We had to go. (masculine plural)
- Sei dovuta uscire? Did you have to go out? (feminine singular)
2. Dovevo = I was supposed to (but maybe I didn’t…)
This is the imperfetto — used for actions that were planned, ongoing, or not completed in the past.
- Dovevo studiare. I was supposed to study.
- Dovevamo andare in Italia. We were supposed to go Italy.
This means the intention was there… but maybe you didn’t actually do it.
- Dovevo studiare, ma sono uscito. I was supposed to study, but I went out.
- Dovevamo andare in Italia, ma abbiamo cambiato programma. We were supposed to go Italy, but we changed plans.
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In short:
| Ho dovuto | Passato prossimo | I had to (and I did it) | ✅ Yes |
| Dovevo | Imperfetto | I was supposed to (but maybe not) | ❌ Maybe not |
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