Tenía que

had to

→ tener

phrase Rare #53,419

had to In exclamations, it can express frustration or inevitability, as in “It had to be…!”

SP: Tenía que salir temprano para llegar a tiempo.

EN: I had to leave early to arrive on time.

It had to be Himmler!

— La Caída (2004)

Was something supposed to happen?

— Roma città aperta (1945)

Just my luck!

— Вор (1997)

It had to be a bad year!

— La Linterna Roja (1991)