had to, were supposed to
Mes collègues devaient examiner toutes les possibilités.
My colleagues had to examine all the possibilities.
— Ne le dis à personne (2006)
Ils ont dit que les enfants devaient se doucher et je ne veux pas.
They said the children had to shower and I don't want them to.
— La vie est belle (1997)
Après ça, les matelas devaient être vraiment sales.
After that, the mattresses must have been really dirty.
— Aquarius (2016)
Toutes deux ne devaient jamais plus se rencontrer.
The two were never to meet again.
Tom et Mary ont dit qu'ils devaient faire ça avant de partir.
Tom and Mary said they had to do that before leaving.
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)
Avant l'Internet, les amis et les amoureux devaient correspondre.
Before the Internet, friends and lovers had to correspond with each other.