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il devait

he had to

→ il
phrase Uncommon #10,896
he had to Depending on context, it can also mean “he was supposed to” or “he must have.”
FR: Il devait partir tôt.
EN: He had to leave early.

Il devait avoir toutes les raisons pour cela.

He must have had every reason for that.

Il devait donc y avoir des pirates aujourd’hui.

So there must have been pirates today.

Il devait pas y avoir un camion ?

Wasn't there supposed to be a truck?

— Insaisissables 2 (2016)

Il devait partir tôt ou tard.

He was bound to leave sooner or later.

— Shower (1999)

Je ne sais pas, il devait les voir.

I don't know, he was supposed to see them.

— L'Accusé (2017)

Et il devait aimer ma mère.

And he must have loved my mother.

— The Little Thief (1988)

Il était impuissant, il devait attendre que cette femme revienne le guider.

He was powerless; he had to wait for this woman to return and guide him.

— Mirage (2018)

Il devait ramener un fonctionnaire de l'Est, Schmidt.

He was supposed to bring back an official from the East, Schmidt.

Il devait parler de vous.

He must have been talking about you.

— Avengers (2012)

Bien qu'il fût épuisé, il devait reprendre le travail.

Although he was exhausted, he had to return to work.

Il devait te laisser tomber bien avant.

He should have let you down long before.

— Le Miroir (1975)

Il devait nous croire encore dans les Hamptons pour le week-end.

He must have thought we were still in the Hamptons for the weekend.

— Le Loup de Wall Street (2013)

Il devait faire en sorte qu'on comprenne.

He had to make sure people understood.

— The Man from Earth (2007)

Il devait me prendre après mon cours à l'université.

He was supposed to pick me up after my class at the university.

— Assurance sur la mort (1944)

Il devait même pas être blessé.

He wasn't even supposed to be hurt.

— Blow Out (1981)

Il devait y avoir beaucoup de sang, la pluie a heureusement tout nettoyé.

There must have been a lot of blood, but luckily the rain washed it all away.

— Decision to Leave (2022)

Il devait être drogué.

He must have been drugged.

— Terminator (1984)

Il devait passer en fin de journée.

He was supposed to stop by at the end of the day.

— Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962)

Il devait aller chez Yves, après l'école.

He was supposed to go to Yves’s after school.

— Caché (2005)

Tom m'a demandé où il devait se garer.

Tom asked me where he should park.

Il devait avoir une raison.

He must have had a reason.

Il devait y avoir une autre raison.

There must have been another reason.

— Old Boy (2003)

Il devait me donner de l'argent pour mon vol.

He was supposed to give me money for my flight.

— Marty Supreme (2025)

Il devait avoir le trac, mais il n'a commis aucun impair.

He must have been nervous, but he didn't put a foot wrong.

— Titanic (1997)

Il devait parier gros ?

He had to bet big.

— F1® Le Film (2025)

Il devait partager une chambre avec son frère.

He had to share a room with his brother.

Hé, il me doit de l'argent, il devait me le donner aujourd'hui !

Hey, he owes me money—he was supposed to give it to me today!

— Marty Supreme (2025)

Il devait mourir de la main d'une femme !

He was destined to die at the hands of a woman!

— Tigre & Dragon (2000)

Il devait livrer de l'argent.

He was supposed to deliver some money.

— Le Loup de Wall Street (2013)

Il devait effacer ce crime de son esprit.

He needed to erase that crime from his mind.

— Psychose (1960)

Il devait venir me chercher.

He was supposed to come and pick me up.

— L'Agent secret (2025)

Il devait avoir une liaison.

He must have been having an affair.

— Vivre (1952)

Il devait t'épouser.

He was supposed to marry you.

— Garçon d'honneur (1993)

Il devait faire une promenade avec Dorothée.

He was supposed to go for a walk with Dorothy.

— La Nuit américaine (1973)

Il devait me ramener au studio, finalement il a embarqué Liliane.

He was supposed to take me back to the studio, but in the end he took Liliane with him.

— La Nuit américaine (1973)

Il devait être en train de chier.

He must have been taking a shit.

— PIKU (2015)

Il devait dîner avec nous, mais il est tombé malade soudainement.

He was supposed to have dinner with us, but he suddenly fell ill.

Il devait se savoir malade !

He must have known he was sick!

— Vivre (1952)

Il devait m'emmener à Singapour.

He was supposed to take me to Singapore.

— 2046 (2004)

Il devait revenir l'an dernier pour le boulot.

He was supposed to come back last year for work.

— Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

Il devait avoir un fusil du dernier modèle.

He must have had a late model rifle.

Il devait avoir une bonne raison.

He must have had a good reason.

Il devait bien y avoir de meilleures façons de se traiter les uns les autres.

There had to be better ways of treating each other.