commoner0080

[mystic radish]

Please be patient

Our volunteers look into many questions every day; sometimes it takes them a little while to answer.

Pro tip: you can rename the thread title with `.tr <thread name>`

Make it descriptive, including relevant context, but also to the point. This way you improve your chances of getting a more relevant and specific answer.

[eternal forum]

There are some differences:

• Il faut que is more general: 'it is necessary that ...'
• Il *doit is in the third person singular, so you in the first person would say 'je dois'
• Il faut que is followed by the subjonctif, while 'devoir' is not

In fact, 'devoir' is usually followed by an infinitive.

Let's write 'I have to buy groceries' using both:

Il faut que je fasse les courses.
Je dois faire les courses.

[honest pecan]

as a third option, il faut (+inf) on its own to me reads as even more general

il faut faire les courses is like.. in general the groceries have to be done but theres no real subject/direction implied (depending on the context of course)

[elfin bronze]

Yes, since « falloir » is only impersonal whereas « devoir » can be personal, falloir is seen as more general/objective whereas devoir is more specific/subjective

[honest pecan]

and then the middle ground with il faut que which can then direct it to a specific subject which has this obligation

i <3 this stuff

[eternal forum]

@pure compass Falloir being impersonal means it only conjugates in the third person singular. The same is true for some other verbs, like pleuvoir (can also be conjugated in the third person plural) and neiger (only third person singular), among others.