Be supposed to means that something is expected because of a plan, rules or an agreement. The train is supposed to arrive at six: that's what the timetable says. In the past, was supposed to usually means the expectation didn't come true: I was supposed to call her, meaning I never did. Not supposed to means “not allowed”.
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be supposed to + verb; was/were supposed to + verb; be not supposed to + verb; be supposed to be + adjective
- We were supposed to land at nine, but the flight was delayed by two hours.
- You're not supposed to use your phone during the exam.
- This café is supposed to have the best pancakes in town.
What changed
First versionWe supposed to meet at six yesterday, but I got stuck at work.
RevisionWe were supposed to meet at six yesterday, but I got stuck at work.
Supposed is easy to mistake for the past tense of suppose, and be gets lost. But without were, the sentence falls apart: supposed on its own means “assumed”. Only the full phrase were supposed to gives the meaning “that was the plan”.
Must and have to express an obligation you can't avoid: I have to work on Saturday. Supposed to is softer: that's how it should be, but in reality things may turn out differently. And It's supposed to be good isn't about obligation at all, it's about what other people say, “I've heard it's good”, as in the example about pancakes.
Your turn
The meeting ___ start at ten, but the manager only arrived at half past.
Show the answer
was supposed to — According to the plan, the meeting would start at ten, but the plan didn't work out: that's was supposed to. Had to means someone was forced to do something and it happened, but here the start was half an hour late.
Write about a plan that fell through. Say what was supposed to happen and what got in the way.
We were supposed to visit my grandparents last weekend, but our car broke down on the motorway.
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