How do you choose when to use devoir instead of il faut?

Julie E.C1Kwiziq community member

How do you choose when to use devoir instead of il faut?

Asked 8 years ago
AurélieNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer
Bonjour Julie !

That's a very good question!
The fact is that in practice, "devoir" and "il faut" are perfectly interchangeable :)
The only nuance would be that "il faut" being an impersonal structure, you would maybe prefer "devoir" to emphasise WHO "must act".

Il faut courir. (One/You/We must run.)
Il doit courir. (He must run.)

I hope that's helpful!

How do you choose when to use devoir instead of il faut?

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