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on devait

we had to

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phrase Uncommon #10,647
we had to Often means “we were supposed to” or “we had to,” depending on context.
FR: On devait partir à huit heures.
EN: We had to leave at eight o'clock.

On devait le faire.

We had to do it.

D'après Cook, on devait recevoir combien ?

According to Cook, how much were we supposed to receive?

— Drive (2011)

On devait se lever à l'aube.

We were supposed to get up at dawn.

Mais avant, on devait détruire les preuves.

But first, the evidence had to be destroyed.

— Qui suis-je (2014)

On devait entrer depuis le début.

We were supposed to go in from the beginning.

— Zootopie 2 (2025)

Souviens-toi, on devait appeler Vargas et Reyes.

Remember, we were supposed to call Vargas and Reyes.

On devait prendre une décision.

We had to make a decision.

Je m'excuse de vous avoir laissés ici, de toute façon on devait attendre.

I’m sorry I left you here; we had to wait anyway.

— Stalker (1979)

On devait être mardi, il portait sa cravate bleu vif.

It must have been Tuesday; he was wearing his bright blue tie.

— Fight Club (1999)

On devait aller à la Galleria dell'Accademia.

We were supposed to go to the Galleria dell'Accademia.

— Vacances à Venise (1955)

On devait partir dimanche.

We were supposed to leave on Sunday.

— Mystic River (2003)

On devait y aller ensemble.

We were supposed to go together.

On devait le protéger.

We were supposed to protect him.

— Infernal Affairs (2002)

On devait se rencontrer ici et aller manger au restaurant.

We were supposed to meet here and go out to a restaurant.

— Day Watch (2006)

C'est elle qu'on devait interroger ?

Was she the one we were supposed to question?

— Andhadhun (2018)

On devait juste croiser des explosions et des pièges.

We were just supposed to encounter explosions and traps.

— War Machine (2026)

On devait rester combien de jours ?

How many days were we supposed to stay?

— Carnets de voyage (2004)

Pour presque tout, on devait être bien plus proches.

For almost everything, we had to be much closer.

On devait avoir des cadeaux.

We were supposed to get presents.

— Une grande fille (2019)

Mais on devait rester tranquille.

But we had to remain calm.

— Nausicaä de la vallée du vent (1984)

On devait pas se voir à l'hôtel ?

Weren’t we supposed to meet at the hotel?

— Parle avec elle (2002)

On devait y aller, mais elle est partie.

We were supposed to go, but she left.

C'était convenu, on devait voir ton émission ensemble.

That was the plan; we were supposed to watch your show together.

— Caché (2005)

On devait aller camper la semaine prochaine !

We were supposed to go camping next week!

— Kiki la petite sorcière (1989)

Et je ne suis pas sûre de ce que Sharon ferait si on devait partir.

And I'm not sure what Sharon would do if we had to leave.

— Tár (2022)

On devait mettre un X où il fallait.

We had to put an X in the right place.

— Il est de retour (2015)

On devait se voir tous les trois.

The three of us were supposed to meet.

— Burning (2018)

On s'est quittés et on devait rester en contact, mais ça n'a pas été le cas.

We broke up and were supposed to stay in touch, but that didn't happen.

— The Man from Earth (2007)

On devait le faire ensemble.

We were supposed to do it together.

— On ne vit qu'une seule fois (2011)

On devait s'adapter.

We had to adapt.

— Oppenheimer (2023)

Et je crois que on devait repartir à zéro.

And I think we had to start from scratch.

— Bugonia (2025)

On devait creuser !

We had to dig!

— Atlantide, l'empire perdu (2001)

On devait passer un morceau de Harry Belafonte.

We were supposed to play a Harry Belafonte track.

— Toni Erdmann (2016)

On devait y être à neuf heures.

We were supposed to be there at nine o’clock.

— Les Affranchis (1990)

On devait aller couper le circuit principal, non ?

We were supposed to go and cut the main circuit, weren't we?

On devait partir dans deux mois.

We were supposed to leave in two months.

— Mommy (2014)

On devait trouver MRX et j'étais l'appât.

We were supposed to find MRX, and I was the bait.

— Qui suis-je (2014)

Non, cette question, qu'on devait aborder ensemble.

No, that question—the one we were supposed to discuss together.

— Aquarius (2016)