had to, were supposed to
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Third | devait | devaient |
Les barbares ne devaient-ils pas perdre la bataille de Carthage ?
Weren’t the barbarians supposed to lose the Battle of Carthage?
— Gladiator (2000)
Les deux-mâts étaient en mer et ne devaient rentrer qu’ici une semaine.
The two-masted ships were at sea and weren’t due back for another week.
On a dit que les gens devaient pouvoir se reconnaître à l'écran.
It was said that people should be able to recognize themselves on screen.
— No (2012)
Ils voulaient savoir s'ils pouvaient le faire et non s'ils le devaient.
They wanted to know whether they could do it, not whether they had to.
— Jurassic Park (1993)
Les charpentiers devaient réparer les moulins à vent des égouts.
The carpenters had to repair the sewer windmills.
Avant l'Internet, les amis et les amoureux devaient correspondre.
Before the Internet, friends and lovers had to correspond with each other.
Tommy et Carbone devaient obliger le gardien à nous ouvrir la grille.
Tommy and Carbone had to force the guard to open the gate for us.
— Les Affranchis (1990)