owe

devoir

Devoir payer ou rendre quelque chose à quelqu’un parce qu’on a reçu quelque chose de lui.

En anglais simple : To need to pay money or give something to someone because you have received something from them.

• I owe you ten pounds.
• She owes money to the bank.
• How much do we owe for dinner?

Comment l'utiliser : owe someone something (I owe my brother twenty euros.); owe something to someone (She owes three hundred pounds to her landlord.)

Synonymes : be liable for

Expressions courantes : owe someone money, owe rent, owe something to someone

devoir, être redevable à

Se sentir obligé de rendre quelque chose à quelqu’un, en argent, en aide ou par un service.

En anglais simple : To feel you must repay someone with money, help, or a favour.

• Thanks for helping; I owe you one.
• She felt she owed him for his kindness.
• You saved my evening, and I really owe you.

Comment l'utiliser : owe someone for something (I owe you for all your help.)

Synonymes : be indebted to

Expressions courantes : owe someone, owe someone one, owe someone for something

devoir

Avoir quelque chose de positif dans sa vie grâce à quelqu’un ou à quelque chose.

En anglais simple : To have someone or something to thank for something good in your life.

• I owe my success to my parents.
• She owes a lot to her first teacher.
• He owed his life to the rescue team.

Comment l'utiliser : owe something to someone/something (She owes her career to years of practice.)

Synonymes : be indebted to

Expressions courantes : owe everything to someone, owe someone a lot, owe success to someone

devoir

Avoir le devoir de donner quelque chose à quelqu’un ou de faire quelque chose pour lui.

En anglais simple : To have a duty to give someone something or do something for them.

• You owe her an apology.
• We owe our children a safe home.
• I felt I owed him an explanation.

Comment l'utiliser : owe someone something (They owe us an explanation.); owe it to someone to do something (We owe it to our children to protect the forests.)

Expressions courantes : owe someone an apology, owe someone respect, owe it to someone

être dû à

Exister ou se produire à cause de quelque chose.

En anglais simple : To be caused by, or exist because of, something.

• The film’s appeal owes much to its music.
• The delay owed to a shortage of staff.
• Their success owes partly to careful planning.

Comment l'utiliser : owe to something (The town’s growth owes to its excellent transport links.)

Synonymes : result from, stem from

Expressions courantes : owe to something, owe much to something

avoir des dettes

Avoir des sommes dues qu’il reste à rembourser.

En anglais simple : To have debts that you still need to pay.

• I cannot borrow more while I still owe.
• She owes heavily after buying the farm.
• Even after selling everything, they still owed.

Synonymes : be in debt

Expressions courantes : still owe, owe heavily