Devaient (en. Had to)

/də.vɛ/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishFrench

verb

Indicates an obligation or necessity in the past.

They had to finish the project before the deadline.

Ils devaient finir le projet avant la date limite.

Expresses an expectation or assumption in the past.

She thought they had to be there at 6 PM.

Elle pensait qu'ils devaient être là à 18 heures.

Shows a responsibility that was not fulfilled.

We had to buy bread, but we forgot.

Nous devions acheter du pain, mais nous avons oublié.

From the verb 'devoir', of Latin origin 'debere', meaning 'to have to do'.

duty to

to have the obligation to do something.

devoir de

that had to happen

it was inevitable.

cela devait arriver

he had to be

he was supposed to be.

il devait être

duty

obligation or responsibility to do something.

devoir

should

indicates an obligation in the future.

devrait

in front of

in a position before, in front of something.

devant

In youth slang, using 'devaient' to mean that something was expected.

They were supposed to come to the party, but they canceled.

Ils devaient venir à la fête, mais ils ont annulé.

Used to play on the past and express regret.

I thought they were supposed to call me, but that never happened.

Je pensais qu'ils devaient m'appeler, mais ça ne s'est jamais produit.