трябва да + Verb

Having to with Трябва Да

Level 2Sounds Like trâbva da

To say that you must do something, put трябва да before a present-tense verb: Трябва да уча. (I have to study.)

How It Works

1. Forms. Only the second verb changes:

  • Трябва да уча. (I have to study.)
  • Трябва да учиш. (You have to study.)
  • Трябва да учим. (We have to study.)
  • Те трябва да учат. (They have to study.)

2. Aspect after да. For one complete action, use a perfective verb: Трябва да купя хляб. (I have to buy bread.) For a repeated action, use an imperfective verb: Трябва да ставам рано всеки ден. (I have to get up early every day.) See perfective verbs after да. The imperfective Трябва да тръгваме is the usual way to say "we have to get going" right now.

3. Questions. Put ли after трябва: Трябва ли да нося паспорт? (Do I have to bring a passport?)

4. Past and future. Трябваше да чакам. (I had to wait.) Трябваше да can also mean "should have": Трябваше да ми кажеш. (You should have told me.) For the future, use ще: Ще трябва да чакаме. (We will have to wait.)

5. Negation. Не трябва да means "must not": Не трябва да пушиш тук. (You must not smoke here.) To say that something is not necessary, use няма нужда да; see must not versus need not.

Note: the personal verb трябвам means "to be needed", as in Трябваш ми (I need you). Do not use its personal forms for "have to". See needing something.

Examples (6)

  1. Трябва да уча за изпита.

    I have to study for the exam.

  2. Трябва да тръгваме, вече е късно.

    We have to get going, it's already late.

    Трябва stays the same; тръгваме shows the person.

  3. Трябва ли да нося паспорт?

    Do I have to bring a passport?

  4. Утре Иван трябва да работи.

    Ivan has to work tomorrow.

  5. Вчера трябваше да чакам два часа.

    Yesterday I had to wait for two hours.

    Трябваше is the past form.

  6. Не трябва да пушиш тук.

    You must not smoke here.

    Не трябва да means "must not".

Common Mistakes

  • Changing трябва for the person.

    Аз трябвам да уча.
    Аз трябва да уча.

    In the sense "have to", трябва never changes. Трябвам is a different verb that means "to be needed".

  • Leaving out да.

    Трябва уча.
    Трябва да уча.

    Bulgarian has no infinitive, so the second verb always comes in a да-clause.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

трябва да + VerbLevel 2Having to with Трябва Да

Learn This First

Having to builds on да clauses.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

трябватрябвам