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il a fallu

it was necessary

→ il
phrase Uncommon #12,330
it was necessary Often translated as “had to” when followed by an action. The subject “il” is impersonal.
FR: Il a fallu attendre deux heures.
EN: We had to wait two hours.

Il a fallu bosser tout de suite.

We had to start working right away.

— Taxi (1998)

Il a fallu qu'on se tienne chaud.

We had to keep each other warm.

— La Haine (1995)

Mais il a fallu me rencontrer d'abord.

But you had to meet me first.

— Anatomie d'une chute (2023)

Il a fallu le sauver.

He had to be rescued.

— Avengers : Infinity War (2018)

Il a fallu trois jours pour peindre toute la maison.

It took three days to paint the whole house.

Il a fallu du temps pour que les choses reviennent à la normale.

It took a while for things to get back to normal.

Il a fallu amputer la jambe de Sami.

Sami’s leg had to be amputated.

Y avait trop de volontaires, il a fallu se battre "Smokey" Joe Wood !

There were too many volunteers, so we had to fight for Smokey Joe Wood!

— Jusqu'au bout du rêve (1989)

Il a fallu beaucoup de cran.

It took a lot of guts.

Il a fallu que Chikako me quitte pour que je réalise à quel point je l'aimais.

It took Chikako leaving me for me to realize how much I loved her.

Il a fallu que je le voie par moi-même.

I had to see it for myself.

Jeune, il a fallu que je me débrouille par moi-même.

When I was young, I had to fend for myself.

Il avait la rage, il a fallu le tuer.

He had rabies, so we had to kill him.

— The Mask (1994)

Alors il a fallu payer.

So we had to pay.

Il a fallu le remonter du fond, et quelle partie de plaisir !

We had to haul it up from the bottom, and what a joy that was!

Il a fallu vingt ans pour recueillir cette quantité.

It took twenty years to collect this quantity.

Il a fallu le traîner pour l'interroger.

They had to drag him in for questioning.

— Lust, Caution (2007)

Il a fallu faire des choix.

Choices had to be made.

— Rang de Basanti (2006)

Il a fallu que je me change.

I had to change clothes.

— Retour vers le futur (1985)

Il a fallu ce hasard.

It took that stroke of luck.

— The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)

Pourquoi il a fallu que tu fasses tuer mon pére ?

Why did you have to have my father killed?

— Haider (2014)

Il a fallu le déconnecter.

He had to be disconnected.

— Star Trek, le film (1979)

Il a fallu un certain temps pour que je pige ce qu'elle voulait dire.

It took me a while to figure out what she meant.

Devant l'urgence, il a fallu agir rapidement.

Given the urgency of the situation, it was necessary to act quickly.

Il a fallu tout ce temps à la police pour retrouver la trace de mon grand-père.

It took the police all this time to track down my grandfather.

— Le Tambour (1979)

Il a fallu que je revienne à la voile.

I had to get back into sailing.

Il a fallu du temps.

It took a while.

— Mourir pour survivre (2018)

Il a fallu lui mettre les fers, il se présentait par les fesses.

We had to put him in irons, he was presenting himself buttocks first.

— Les Quatre Cents Coups (1959)

Il a fallu que ça t'arrive à toi !

Of all people, it had to happen to you!

— Le Scaphandre et le Papillon (2007)