il devait

had to, was supposed to

d ə . v ɛ → devoir
auxiliary · third singular · imperfect indicative Common #2,635
had to, was supposed to Imperfect form; often expresses obligation in the past (or a planned/expected action in the past).
FR: Il devait partir à huit heures.
EN: He had to leave at eight o'clock.
Conjugation of devoir
Indicative imperfect
SingularPlural
First devais
Second devais
Third devait devaient
du

Il s'est passé ce qui devait se passer.

What was meant to happen happened.

Elle avait oublié qu'elle devait me remplacer.

She had forgotten that she was supposed to fill in for me.

— Salé, Sucré (1994)

Je comptais rentrer préparer le colis que Lois devait emporter.

I was planning to go home and prepare the package that Lois was supposed to take.

— Les Affranchis (1990)

Et le père d'Yves devait les raccompagner.

And Yves's father was supposed to accompany them home.

— Caché (2005)

Et c'est quelque chose que mon remplaçant devait comprendre.

And that's something my replacement needed to understand.

— Troupe d'Élite (2007)

Il savait qu'il devait l'aider.

He knew he had to help him.

Ta mère devait vraiment être belle.

Your mother must have been really beautiful.

— 3 Idiots (2009)

Le festin devait durer toute la nuit.

The feast was to last all night.

Tom a dit qu'il avait pu faire tout ce qu'il devait faire.

Tom said that he had been able to do everything he needed to do.

Si cela devait arriver, que feriez-vous?

If that were to happen, what would you do?

Tom devait avoir la trentaine quand il a fait ça.

Tom must have been in his thirties when he did this.

Si une crise grave devait survenir, le gouvernement devrait agir rapidement.

If a serious crisis were to arise, the government would have to act quickly.

Dans ton coeur, tu savais ce qui devait arriver.

In your heart you knew what had to happen.

Cette lettre ne devait jamais être envoyée.

This letter was never meant to be sent.

Qui, ce soir, devait avoir lieu à minuit pile sur les bords de la Tamise.

Which, tonight, was supposed to take place at midnight sharp on the banks of the Thames.

— Insaisissables 2 (2016)

Ça devait se faire, dans le coin, parce qu'il a craché le fric.

It must have been done around here, because he coughed up the money.

— Les Affranchis (1990)

Il disait qu'on devait avoir une réunion.

He said we had to have a meeting.

Cela devait arriver tôt ou tard.

It had to happen sooner or later.

Mary devait avoir une bonne raison pour ce qu'elle a fait.

Mary must have had a good reason for what she did.

Elle ne devait pas tomber sous votre défense!

She shouldn't have fallen under your defense!

— Le Seigneur des anneaux : Les Deux Tours (2002)

Il ne devait pas être là.

He shouldn't have been there.

— À bout de course (1988)

Tout le monde devait le faire.

Everyone had to do it.

Quelqu'un devait payer pour le sang sur le t-shirt des droits de l'homme.

Someone had to pay for the blood on the human rights T-shirt.

— Troupe d'Élite : l'Ennemi Intérieur (2010)

Sami devait prouver ça.

Sami had to prove that.

Mais la foule devait-elle vraiment brûler le commissariat de police?

But did the crowd really have to burn down the police station?

— The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002)

L'opération devait rester secrète.

The operation was supposed to remain secret.

Ce connard devait couper les caméras.

That asshole should have turned off the cameras.

— La piel que habito (2011)

Tom n'était pas certain de ce qu'il devait faire.

Tom wasn't sure what he was supposed to do.

Chatur devait faire le discours d'introduction à la Journée des enseignants.

Chatur was supposed to give the opening speech for Teachers' Day.

— 3 Idiots (2009)

Dan devait déterminer qui disait la vérité.

Dan had to determine who was telling the truth.

Ça devait l'être.

It was supposed to be.

— Le Loup de Wall Street (2013)

Quand avez-vous su que Tom ne devait pas faire ça?

When did you know that Tom wasn't supposed to do that?

Il ne devait jamais revoir sa femme et ses enfants.

He was never to see his wife and children again.

On ne devait à aucun prix montrer le cristal.

The crystal was not to be shown under any circumstances.

— Le Château dans le ciel (1986)

L'équipe de nuit devait pas savoir.

The night shift wasn't supposed to know.

— Faute d'amour (2017)

Non, il devait vous connaître.

No, he must have known you.

— Oppenheimer (2023)

L'agent Barton devait me tuer.

Agent Barton was supposed to kill me.

— Avengers (2012)

Tom dit qu'il ne savait pas ce qu'il devait faire.

Tom says he didn't know what he was supposed to do.

Je lui ai dit qu'il devait venir.

I told him he had to come.

Ziri devait partir.

Ziri had to go.

Si, pour une raison quelconque, cela devait avoir lieu, que ferais-tu?

If, for some reason, that were to happen, what would you do?

Ils ont dit qu'il devait répondre à des questions.

They said he had to answer questions.

— Je suis toujours là (2024)

Asgard devait tous nous protéger.

Asgard was supposed to protect us all.

— Avengers : Infinity War (2018)

Elle savait exactement ce qu'elle devait faire.

She knew exactly what she had to do.

Je me demande si Tom a oublié de dire à Marie qu'elle devait faire ça.

I wonder if Tom forgot to tell Marie that she had to do that.

Et qui devait s'occuper des fleurs?

And who was supposed to take care of the flowers?

— Silent Voice (2016)

Santiago devait révéler le nom du coupable contre une réaffectation.

Santiago was to reveal the name of the culprit in exchange for a reassignment.

— Des hommes d'honneur (1992)

Personne ne pouvait savoir avec certitude ce qui devait alors advenir.

No one could know for sure what would happen next.

Vous savez ce que le chœur devait chanter dans ce concert?

Do you know what the choir was supposed to sing in that concert?

— Trois couleurs : Bleu (1993)

Je n'avais pas pu à ce moment mais j'ai senti qu'elle devait me voir.

I couldn’t at that moment, but I felt that she needed to see me.

— Oppenheimer (2023)

Si cela devait survenir, que feriez-vous?

If that were to happen, what would you do?

S'il devait arriver tard, vous pouvez commencer la conférence sans lui.

If he happens to arrive late, you can start the conference without him.

Afin de ne pas oublier ce qu'il devait accomplir, il fit un nœud à son mouchoir.

So that he wouldn’t forget what he had to do, he tied a knot in his handkerchief.

Son haleine devait le trahir après chaque messe.

His breath must have given him away after every mass.

— Wake Up Dead Man : Une histoire à couteaux tirés (2025)

Si, pour une raison quelconque, cela devait advenir, que ferais-tu?

If, for some reason, that were to happen, what would you do?

Alberto devait accompagner Isabella.

Alberto was to accompany Isabella.

Ça devait sûrement appartenir à mon père.

It must have belonged to my father.

— Departures (2008)

Cela devait arriver.

It was bound to happen.

Le balayeur devait venir aujourd'hui.

The street sweeper was supposed to come today.

— Article 15 (2019)

Puis j'irais chercher le colis que Lois devait livrer à Atlanta.

Then I would go pick up the package that Lois was supposed to deliver in Atlanta.

— Les Affranchis (1990)

La bombe devait exploser dans trente minutes.

The bomb was due to explode in thirty minutes.

Elle ne devait pas être en or.

It wasn't supposed to be made of gold.

— Indiana Jones et la dernière croisade (1989)

Un gardien qui ne devait pas être là.

A guard who shouldn't have been there.

— À bout de course (1988)

Il ne devait y avoir que ta famille.

It was only supposed to be your family.

— Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

La lettre que Tom reçut disait qu'il devait rentrer au plus tôt à la maison.

The letter Tom received said that he had to come home as soon as possible.

Quelqu'un devait peut-être l'être, pour le meilleur ou le pire.

Someone may have had to be, for better or worse.

— The Man from Earth (2007)

Sami devait recevoir cet argent.

Sami was supposed to receive this money.

On a fait ce qu'on devait faire.

We did what we had to do.

Il ne savait pas ce qu'il devait faire avec le reste de nourriture.

He didn’t know what he should do with the leftover food.

Ce crétin devait aller à Bangalore, il est revenu pour me faire une surprise.

That idiot was supposed to go to Bangalore; he came back to surprise me.

— Andhadhun (2018)

Ça devait m'arriver à moi!

It had to happen to me!

— M le maudit (1931)

Y'en a bien une dans laquelle ça devait aller.

There must be one where it was supposed to work out.

— Chicago (2002)

Ça devait être enlevé.

It had to be removed.

Il ne devait pas pleuvoir?

Wasn't it supposed to rain?

Dobby devait se punir, monsieur.

Dobby needed to punish himself, sir.

— Harry Potter et la Chambre des secrets (2002)

Quelqu'un devait le faire.

Someone had to do it.

Petit Zé devait payer ou utiliser la force.

Little Zé had to pay or use force.

— La Cité de Dieu (2002)

Il a dit des choses que seul le coupable devait savoir.

He said things that only the guilty party should have known.

— Memories of Murder (2003)

Elle m'a dit qu'elle devait partir.

She told me she had to leave.

Et personne devait écouter ce qu'on lui répondait.

And no one was supposed to listen to what they were told in response.

— Les Affranchis (1990)

Mais Dobby devait venir.

But Dobby was supposed to come.

— Harry Potter et la Chambre des secrets (2002)

Ziri devait s'en aller.

Ziri had to leave.

Si, pour une raison quelconque, cela devait survenir, que feriez-vous?

If, for some reason, this were to happen, what would you do?

Ça devait finir comme ça.

It had to end like this.

Personne devait entendre ce qu'il disait.

No one was to hear what he was saying.

— Les Affranchis (1990)

Jooyeon devait ressembler à sa mère.

Jooyeon was supposed to look like her mother.

— J'ai rencontré le Diable (2010)

Pourquoi vous ne nous avez pas dit que l'on devait faire ça?

Why didn’t you tell us we were supposed to do that?

Il a fait ce qu'il devait faire.

He did what he had to do.

Santiago devait être réaffecté?

Was Santiago supposed to be reassigned?

— Des hommes d'honneur (1992)

Setsuko ne devait pas le savoir.

Setsuko mustn't have known.

— Le Tombeau des lucioles (1988)

Sa fille devait tenir de lui.

His daughter must have taken after him.

— Mystic River (2003)

Jan devait partir à la guerre, mais il préférait rester chez elle.

Jan was supposed to go to war, but preferred to stay home.

— Le Tambour (1979)

S'il devait pleuvoir demain, l'excursion serait annulée.

If it were to rain tomorrow, the excursion would be canceled.

La femme qui a tué ma sœur devait être pendue.

The woman who killed my sister should have been hanged.

Ce serait malheureux s'il devait échouer.

It would be unfortunate if he were to fail.

Tom a dit qu'il devait faire les courses.

Tom said he had to go grocery shopping.

Dave devait faire comme s'il était quelqu'un d'autre.

Dave had to pretend he was someone else.

— Mystic River (2003)

Si, pour une raison quelconque, cela devait advenir, que feriez-vous?

If, for some reason, that were to happen, what would you do?

Tom a dit à Mary qu'il devait partir tôt.

Tom told Mary that he had to leave early.

Ça devait te plaire.

You must have liked that.

— J'ai rencontré le Diable (2010)

Ce jour-là, Samuel devait le récupérer à l'école.

That day, Samuel was supposed to pick him up from school.

— Anatomie d'une chute (2023)

Cela devait-il arriver?

Was this meant to happen?

— Wicked : Partie II (2025)

Il m'a dit qu'il devait filer.

He told me he had to take off.

À qui devait-elle le remettre?

To whom was she supposed to give it?

— Harry Potter et le Prince de sang-mêlé (2009)

Quelqu'un devait venir plus tôt m'aider mais elle a du retard.

Someone was supposed to come help me earlier, but she's running late.

— Burning (2018)

Si cela devait advenir, que ferais-tu?

If that were to happen, what would you do?

Le Gouverneur devait mater la révolte.

The Governor had to put down the revolt.

— Carandiru (2003)

Tom devait appeler Mary la nuit dernière mais il a oublié.

Tom was supposed to call Mary last night but he forgot.

Le jour qui ne devait jamais arriver est arrivé.

The day that was never supposed to come has arrived.

Le savoir magique devait être réservé aux seules familles de sorciers.

Magical knowledge was supposed to be reserved for the families of wizards only.

— Harry Potter et la Chambre des secrets (2002)

J'étais prince, mon peuple devait baisser les yeux devant moi.

I was a prince; my people had to lower their eyes before me.

— Aguirre, la colère de Dieu (1972)

Celui-là devait mourir tôt ou tard.

That one was bound to die sooner or later.

— La Cité de Dieu (2002)

Ça ne devait pas être net.

It wasn't supposed to be clear.

— Mystic River (2003)

Ça devait pas être beau à voir.

It must not have been a pretty sight.

— Je suis toujours là (2024)

C'est elle qui devait se marier?

Was she the one who was supposed to get married?

— Portrait de la jeune fille en feu (2019)

Vous m'aviez dit qu'elle devait revenir à Londres.

You had told me that she was supposed to return to London.

— Demain tout commence (2016)

Le bus devait justement avoir du retard tandis que j'étais en retard.

As luck would have it, the bus was late too, just when I was running late.

Pourquoi Tom devait-il partir?

Why did Tom have to leave?

Quel gâchis ce serait si Tatoeba ne devait lier rien d'autre que des phrases.

What a waste it would be if Tatoeba linked nothing but sentences.

Il ne devait pas y avoir de gens.

There weren't supposed to be any people.

— Atlantide, l'empire perdu (2001)

Tom ne savait pas qu'il devait faire ça aujourd'hui.

Tom didn't know he was supposed to do that today.

Quelqu'un devait m'appeler.

Someone was supposed to call me.

— Femmes au bord de la crise de nerfs (1988)

Le docteur a dit qu'elle devait rester au lit.

The doctor said that she had to stay in bed.

— Good Bye Lenin! (2003)

Sami devait le prouver.

Sami had to prove it.

Ca devait arriver.

It was bound to happen.

— Dangal (2016)

Bill devait retourner au travail mardi prochain.

Bill was due to return to work next Tuesday.

— It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012)

Après ça, quelqu'un devait lui mâcher sa nourriture.

After that, someone had to chew his food for him.

— The Man from Earth (2007)

Une femme si inoffensive qui devait se marier, mais tellement comme il faut.

Such a harmless woman who was supposed to get married, but so perfectly proper.

— Une journée particulière (1977)

Devait-il rester au fond de l'océan?

Was he supposed to remain at the bottom of the ocean?

— Titanic (1997)

Bilbon devait trouver l'Anneau, et de ce fait, vous deviez aussi le détenir.

Bilbo had to find the Ring, and therefore you had to possess it as well.

— Le Seigneur des anneaux : La Communauté de l'anneau (2001)

Qui a dit à Tom qu'il devait faire ça?

Who told Tom he had to do that?

Ziri devait savoir.

Ziri had to know.

Elle a dit qu'elle devait partir tout de suite.

She said she had to leave right away.

Ça devait foirer.

It was bound to fail.

— Le Bateau (1981)

Tom m'a dit qu'il ne savait pas ce qu'il devait faire.

Tom told me he didn't know what he was supposed to do.

Je la comprends, ça devait finir comme ça.

I understand her, it was bound to end like this.

— La Nuit américaine (1973)

Quiconque essayait d'harceler Mickaël devait me faire face avant.

Anyone who tried to harass Mickaël had to face me first.

Elle a dit que c'était important, qu'elle devait le remettre.

She said it was important, that she had to return it.

— Harry Potter et le Prince de sang-mêlé (2009)

Marc devait travailler.

Marc had to work.

Tom resta éveillé pendant un long moment en pensant à ce qu'il devait faire.

Tom stayed awake for a long time, thinking about what he should do.

Tout ce qui devait être contrôlé, je l'ai contrôlé moi-même.

I personally checked everything that needed to be checked.

— Le Salaire de la peur (1953)

Oui, le nez fourré dans tes nibards y devait l'aimer, ton rythme!

Yeah, with his nose buried in your tits, he must have loved your rhythm!

— Mommy (2014)

Si l'un de nous devait mourir, l'autre aurait mauvaise conscience.

If one of us were to die, the other would feel guilty.

— The Garden of Sinners, film 5 : Spirale contradictoire (2008)

S'il devait pleuvoir demain, le match serait annulé.

If it were to rain tomorrow, the match would be canceled.

T'avais pas dit qu'il devait appeler dès qu'il serait à Wagah?

Didn't you say he was supposed to call as soon as he got to Wagah?

— Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015)

Tom a dit qu'il devait juste manger quelque chose tout de suite.

Tom said he just needed to eat something right away.

Mon nom devait apparaît dans les journaux.

My name was supposed to appear in the newspapers.

— Chicago (2002)

Si, pour une raison quelconque, cela devait arriver, que feriez-vous?

If, for some reason, that were to happen, what would you do?

verb · third singular · imperfect indicative Rare #27,785
had to, was supposed to Imperfect tense of « devoir » (used for past habits/ongoing situations, or to set background in the past).
FR: Il devait partir tôt, mais il a raté le bus.
EN: He had to leave early, but he missed the bus.
Conjugation of devoir
Indicative imperfect
SingularPlural
First devais
Second devais deviez
Third devait

La moitié des gens ici devait de l'argent à Bumpy.

Half the people here owed Bumpy money.

— American Gangster (2007)

Elle devait trois mois de loyer.

She owed three months' rent.

— Le Loup de Wall Street (2013)

Il devait son succès autant à son habileté qu'à son application.

He owed his success as much to his skill as to his hard work.

Pete m'en devait une.

Pete owed me one.

— La Famille Tenenbaum (2001)

Il devait de l'argent à Bacchu.

He owed Bacchu money.

— Article 15 (2019)

Elle devait trois roupies à Dev.

She owed Dev three rupees.

— Devdas (2002)

Elle lui tendit l'argent qu'elle lui devait.

She handed him the money she owed him.

Il te devait combien, Astérix?

How much did he owe you, Asterix?

— La Haine (1995)

Il me devait de l'argent.

He owed me money.

— Article 15 (2019)

Astérix, il te devait combien?

How much did Asterix owe you?

— La Haine (1995)

Elle lui a tendu l'argent qu'elle lui devait.

She handed him the money she owed him.

Et il nous devait de l'argent.

And he owed us money.

— Masaan (2015)

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