мне приходилось

I had to

→ я
phrase Rare #29,397
I had to Used to describe something that was repeatedly or continuously necessary in the past. Literally, it means “it came to me,” but the phrase is used impersonally with the person in the dative: мне = “to me.”
RU: Мне приходилось вставать рано каждое утро.
EN: I had to get up early every morning.

А я думала, что мне приходилось только ждать ».

But I thought all I had to do was wait.

— Американская ночь (1973)

Всякий раз, когда я хотел косячок, мне приходилось идти к Моркови.

Whenever I wanted a joint, I had to go to Carrot.

— Город бога (2002)

Сколько лет мне приходилось это выслушивать?

How many years did I have to listen to this?

— Сельма (2014)