Join Discorddevaient
/dəvɛ/devoir
1.
verbIndicative3rdImperfectPlural3
had to
were supposed to
Ils devaient partir à huit heures, mais le train avait du retard.
They were supposed to leave at eight, but the train was late.
Synonyms:être censé (être censés), falloir (impersonal: il fallait)
2.
verbIndicative3rdImperfectPlural3
must have been
were probably / were likely to be
À en juger par leur visage, ils devaient être épuisés.
Judging by their faces, they must have been exhausted.
Synonyms:devoir (quasi-modal, contexte de probabilité), sembler (sembler probable)