This lesson is part of the Beginner Chamorro learning path.

In this lesson, you learn how to talk about things you must or should do in Chamorro — sentences like “I must go,” “you should rest,” or “we must work.” You practice a simple pattern that lets you express responsibilities, obligations, and things that need to be done using everyday action words. By the end of the lesson, you can build clear sentences to talk about what someone needs to do.

(This post has been updated, with clearer organization of topics and new example sentences. Audio recordings for the new example sentences are forthcoming.)

Contents

1. Introduction to “Must” in Chamorro
2. Core Patterns with “Debidi”
3. Making “Must” Statements
   1. “I must…”
   2. “We must…” (Exclusive)
   3. “You must…”
   4. “You must…” (Plural)
   5. “He / She must…”
   6. “They must…”
4. ➡️ Keep Learning! Continue to the Next Lesson
5. Documentation & Further Study
   1. References
   2. Further Reading

Introduction to “Must” in Chamorro

When we talk about the things we “must” do in Chamorro, we use the word debidi or debi di. This word helps us express the things we “must” do, such as “I must go” or “I must stay.”

In this lesson, we’ll practice the patterns for making these “must” statements in Chamorro. Specifically, we’ll do the following:

• Review the core patterns with debidi
• Make sentences with each of the core patterns

We’ll start by learning the core patterns.

Core Patterns with “Debidi”

When we talk about what me “must” do in Chamorro, we need to begin our sentence with debidi and a hu type pronoun. These different combinations are shown in the table below:

March 2026 Note: Audio is forthcoming! Sorry for the confusion!

Chamorro	English
Debidi bai hu	I must
Debidi bai in	We must (exclusive)
Debidi un	You must
Debidi u	She / He / They must
Debidi en	You must (plural)
Debidi ta	We must (inclusive)

Making “Must” Statements

Now we’ll practice using our “must” phrases in complete sentences, using all the core patterns from the previous section. All of the sentences take the same general form: Use the “debidi” phrases, and follow it with an intransitive verb in its future tense form.

All the patterns in this lesson are great for talking to 1-2 people. For talking to 3+ people, the verbs need to be transformed differently, with the plural fan- prefix. This will be covered in another lesson.

We’ll start by practicing the patterns for “I must” statements.

“I must…”

When expressing what we must do, such as “I must go”, use debidi bai hu in front of a verb:

Debidi Bai Hu + Future Tense Intransitive Verb

March 2026 Note: Audio is forthcoming! Sorry for the confusion!

Chamoru	English
Debidi bai hu hånao.	I must go.
Debidi bai hu såga.	I must stay.
Debidi bai hu facho’chu’.	I must work.
Debidi bai hu deskånsa.	I must rest.
Debidi bai hu maigu’.	I must sleep.

“We must…” (Exclusive)

When speaking to others, there are times when you want to talk about what you must do without including them. In these cases, use debidi bai in (“we must”) to express what you need to do.

Here’s the pattern we’ll practice:

Debidi Bai In + Future Tense Intransitive Verb

March 2026 Note: Audio is forthcoming! Sorry for the confusion!

Chamoru	English
Debidi bai in hanao.	We (2) must go.
Debidi bai in saga.	We (2) must stay.
Debidi bai in facho’chu’.	We (2) must work.
Debidi bai in deskånsa.	We (2) must rest.
Debidi bai in maigu’.	We (2) must sleep.

📝Reminder for 3+ People: These sentences are used when “we” refers to two people. When three or more people are included, the verb changes to a different form using the plural fan- prefix.

“You must…”

If you are talking to someone else and you want to express something that they must do, use debidi un (“you must”) at the beginning of your sentences:

Debidi Un + Future Tense Intransitive Verb

March 2026 Note: Audio is forthcoming! Sorry for the confusion!

Chamoru	English
Debidi un hanao.	You must go.
Debidi un saga.	You must stay.
Debidi un facho’chu’.	You must work.
Debidi un deskånsa.	You must rest.
Debidi un maigu’.	You must sleep.

“You must…” (Plural)

If you are talking to more than one person and you want to say what they must do, use debidi en (“you must”) at the beginning of your sentence:

Debidi En + Future Tense Intransitive Verb

March 2026 Note: Audio is forthcoming! Sorry for the confusion!

Chamoru	English
Debidi en hanao.	You (2) must go.
Debidi en saga.	You (2) must stay.
Debidi en facho’chu’.	You (2) must work.
Debidi en deskånsa.	You (2) must rest.
Debidi en maigu’.	You (2) must sleep.

📝Reminder for 3+ People: These sentences are used when “you” refers to two people. When three or more people are included, the verb changes to a different form using the plural fan- prefix.

“He / She must…”

When talking about what another person must do, like “She must stay” or “He must go”, start your sentence with debidi u (“he/she/it must”). Here’s the full pattern:

Debidi u + Future Tense Intransitive Verb

March 2026 Note: Audio is forthcoming! Sorry for the confusion!

Chamoru	English
Debidi u hanao.	She/He must go.
Debidi u saga.	She/He must stay.
Debidi u facho’chu’.	She/He must work.
Debidi u deskånsa.	She/He must rest.
Debidi u maigu’.	She/He must sleep.

“They must…”

Finally, when talking about something “they” must do, you still want to use debidi u at the beginning of your sentence. Since Chamorro differentiates between talking about 2 people versus 3 or more, you may here speakers also add i dos in the sentence for added clarity.

We’ll practice the dual pattern below:

Debidi u + Future Tense Intransitive Verb + i dos

March 2026 Note: Audio is forthcoming! Sorry for the confusion!

Chamoru	English
Debidi u hanao i dos.	They (2) must go.
Debidi u saga i dos.	They (2) must stay.
Debidi u facho’chu’ i dos.	They (2) must work.
Debidi u deskånsa i dos.	They (2) must rest.
Debidi u maigu’ i dos.	They (2) must sleep.

📝Reminder for 3+ People: These sentences are used when “they” refers to two people. When three or more people are included, the verb changes to a different form using the plural fan- prefix. Also, the i dos would be dropped.

➡️ Keep Learning! Continue to the Next Lesson

When you are ready to continue, click the link below for the next lesson in this Beginner Chamorro series:

How to Say “I Can Stay” in Chamorro – Expressing Ability With Intransitive Verbs

---

Documentation & Further Study

References

Topping, Donald M. Spoken Chamorro: With Grammatical Notes and Glossary (Second Edition). University of Hawaii Press, 1980.

Further Reading

Topping, D.M. “21.9 REPETITION DRILL. Debidi.” In Spoken Chamorro: With Grammatical Notes and Glossary (Second Edition), 298-299. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1980.

Topping, D.M. “21.10 TRANSFORMATION DRILL. Debidi.” In Spoken Chamorro: With Grammatical Notes and Glossary (Second Edition), 299. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1980.