debía hacer

was supposed to do

→ deber

phrase Rare #29,353

was supposed to do A form of deber + hacer, used for something someone should do, was expected to do, or had to do in the past. Depending on context, it can also mean “should do.”

SP: No sabía qué debía hacer después de la reunión.

EN: I didn’t know what I was supposed to do after the meeting.

Al no saber qué debía hacer, le pedí consejo.

Not knowing what to do, I asked for advice.

Hizo cosas que no debía hacer.

They did things they shouldn't have done.

— SEND HELP (Enviad ayuda) (2026)

Alguien debía hacer algo.

Someone had to do something.

Ella sabía lo que se debía hacer.

She knew what needed to be done.

Tom no entendía lo que debía hacer.

Tom didn't understand what he was supposed to do.

Yo no estaba seguro de lo que se supone que debía hacer.

I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do.

Hice lo que debía hacer.

I did what I had to do.

Ella hizo lo que sentía que debía hacer.

She did what she felt she had to do.

Yo le pregunté a mi profesora que debía hacer a continuación.

I asked my teacher what I should do next.

Pensé que debía hacer algo importante en mi vida.

I thought I had to do something important in my life.