debía de ser

must have been

→ deber
phrase Rare #48,509
must have been Expresses a past inference or probability, rather than an obligation.
SP: Debía de ser muy tarde cuando llegaron.
EN: It must have been very late when they arrived.

Mi padre debía de ser guapo cuando era joven.

My father must have been handsome when he was young.

Ella debía de ser muy joven cuando escribió este poema.

She must have been very young when she wrote this poem.

Entonces debía de ser un mago.

Then he must have been a wizard.

— El increíble castillo vagabundo (2004)

Debía de ser martes.

It must have been Tuesday.

— El Club de la Pelea (1999)

El pálido resplandor plateado a lo lejos debía de ser la luz de la luna.

The pale silver glow in the distance must have been the moonlight.