How to say “supposed to”

The Modal Verb Phrase
“Supposed to”
Meaning and Uses

In last January’s blog, we discussed how to use dovere to express the meaning behind the English modal verb “should” in Italian.  The focus of this blog will be the English modal verb phrase “supposed to,” which conveys a similar meaning to “should,” but has different overtones and is used in a slightly different way.

In Italian, the verb dovere,  with its official translation of “must/to have to” will be recruited to express the meanings of “duty” and “obligation” that come into play with “supposed to.”  Of course, dovere will be conjugated differently to render the English nuances between “supposed to” and “should” —  this time in the present tense or imperfetto past tense.

Let’s first answer some general questions about “supposed to” and how it is used in English before describing how to create a similar sentence in Italian.

 

Why is “supposed to” a modal verb phrase? How does “supposed to” differ from “should”?

“Supposed to” is a modal verb phrase because it has only one form and also because it functions to modify a main verb by providing additional information.  A modal verb is placed directly before the main verb to “modify” it.  This role also leads to the informal name of “helping verb,” as the information provided by a modal verb is not found in the main verb.

 

What concepts are relayed in English with “supposed to”?

1. A statement modified with “supposed to” describes an event that probably will happen but at the same time conveys a bit of uncertainty.  The modal verb phrase “supposed to” is used to link duty or a personal obligation to the topic under discussion.  This phrase is used in situations when the speaker could use “should.”  But, choosing “supposed to” instead of “should” underscores an individual’s responsibility.

Below is the original example from the previous blog about “should” that has been modified to replace “should” with “supposed to.”  The different meanings are emphasized in the new explanatory phrases that follow in italic.  Notice how, in the second example that uses “supposed to,” the speaker has fulfilled his or her obligation to the university, leading to a higher probability for the expected outcome.

•  I  should finish my studies in college this May;
  I only have one more course to take.
• I am supposed to finish my studies in college this May;
  I’ve already signed up for my last course and my professor says I am doing well.

 

Two additional examples for events under human control:  imagine an adolescent talking to their parent in the first case below and a friend at a party in the second.  In the second case, the sense of duty is included in the reason for leaving early, which implies a more certain outcome.

• I should be home before midnight; the party will probably be over by then.
• I am supposed to be home before midnight; I promised my mother so she would let me use her car.

“Should” and “supposed to“
are both used to describe probability

-but-
the modal phrase “supposed to”
contributes additional meanings of “duty” or “obligation.”

 

2.  “Supposed to” can also be used to refer to the way an event has been planned or is expected to unfold, again, highlighting the underlying human factor.

For example, forecasting the weather is a common example for an event not under human control but  monitored closely by human beings. Given this monitoring, now-a-days we expect  to know what we will encounter when we step out of our house.  Think about how often we make plans based on the weather forecast — and how we may be disappointed if the weather does not cooperate to give us the outcome we desire!

• It is supposed to rain this afternoon; I will take my umbrella when I go shopping.
• You told me it wasn’t going to snow this week and we could take a vacation!  But it has and now all flights are delayed!

 

3. Finally, an example below regarding how human beings expect machines to function properly, either due to pre-programming or planning, and how we may be disappointed when they do not!

• My car should last another 2 years if I take care of it.
• My car is supposed to last another 2 years; the dealer gave me a certificate after the last tune up.

 

What are the differences in how “should” and “supposed to” are used in English?

1. As discussed in last January’s blog, “should” can be used to ask for or to give advice.  However, “supposed to” is not used to give advice.  “Supposed to” may be used in a rhetorical way, though, to negate responsibility in reply to advice or for unexpected or negative outcome.  Haven’t we all, at one time or another, used the phrase, “What am I supposed to do?”

• Ann: “I think (my advice is) you should go to Rome; there are more jobs there.”
• John: “But I don’t have the money to move.  What am I supposed to do?  

• Mary: “I missed the train so I had to wait over two hours for the next to arrive; 
  I’m sorry I am late but what was I supposed to do?”

2.   “Should have” is used to express regret about a lost opportunity in the past tense.  “Was/were supposed to” can be used to emphasize the feeling of responsibility that underlies the regret for a past action not performed.

• Mike: “I should have spoken to Maria, who has lived in Rome for 10 years, before I rented an apartment there.”
• John: “Yes, I know I was supposed to talk to Maria. And I’m sorry that I didn’t.”

 

How do you use “supposed to” in a sentence?

To use “supposed to,” you will first need to conjugate the verb to be to reflect the speaker.  Either present tense (I am, you are, he/she is…) or past tense (I was, you were, he/she was…) can be combined with “supposed to.”  Of course. the past tense verb is needed to express regret.

Follow the conjugated form of to be with “supposed to” and then with a bare infinitive verb. (Remember a bare infinitive in English is the verb without “to.”) Notice that this differs from “should,” which stands alone before the bare infinitive verb it modifies.

The formula:

[Subject + to be + supposed to + bare infinitive verb]

Compare the sentence structures below for “should,” which is simply inserted before the bare infinitive verb, with “supposed to.”

• “I should finish my studies…”
• “I am supposed to finish my studies…”

• “What should I do?”
• “What am I supposed to do?”

• “You should go to Rome…”
• You were supposed to go to Rome…”

---

 

The Italian Verb “Dovere”

Dovere, with its official translation of “must/have to” is sometimes called upon to take on the meaning of the English modal phrase “supposed to” (more about this in the final section).  For this task, dovere is conjugated either in the present tense or imperfetto past tense.  The conjugation tables for dovere in these tenses are given below.

If you need a general refresher on how to use the Italian verb dovere in the present tense, please refer to the blog, “How to Use the Verb ‘Dovere.'”

Notice that dovere has a regular conjugation in the imperfetto past tense. It should also be noted that the this past tense has many other uses in Italian that are not discussed in this blog. 

Detailed blogs about the Italian past tense from this series include: Italian Past: “Avere” vs. “Essere” –“Imperfetto” or “Passato Prossimo?” and The Italian “Imperfetto.”

English Modal Verb Phrase “Supposed to”		Dovere Present Tense	Dovere Imperfetto Tense
I am supposed to	io	devo	dovevo
You are supposed to	tu	devi	dovevi
You polite are, he/she/it is supposed to	Lei lei/lui	deve	doveva
we are supposed to	noi	dobbiamo	dovevamo
you all are supposed to	voi	dovete	dovevate
they are supposed to	loro	devono	dovevano

 

Since the examples in the next section use the Italian conditional tense to compare to the imperfetto past tense, the conjugation of dovere in the conditional tense given in the second table below. The irregular stem is dovr, although the endings are regular.

Once again, notice that the English modal verb “should” is not conjugated. The stressed syllable is underlined for each verb.

English Modal Verb Should		Dovere Conditional Tense
I should	io	dovrei
You familiar should	tu	dovresti
You polite, he/she/it should	Lei/lei/lui	dovrebbe
we should	noi	dovremmo
you all should	voi	dovreste
they should	loro	dovrebbero

---

“Supposed to”
“Dovere” Present and Imperfetto Past

 

How do I use the Italian verb “dovere” to say “supposed to”?

As noted in detail in the first section of this blog, there are nuances in meaning and different uses for the English modal verb “should” and the modal verb phrase “supposed to.” 

In the blog, “How to Say ‘Should’ in Italian,” conjugating dovere in the conditional tense provided an easy method to translate the English modal verb “should.”  However,  there is not a direct way to translate “supposed to” into Italian.

There is, of course, an Italian verb that means “to suppose,” which is the irregular Italian verb “supporre.”   Supporre can also be translated into English with verbs that have similar meanings: “to presume, to imagine, (to make a) conjecture.”  But supporre is not used to say “supposed to” directly, as in the English language.  Instead, supporre in the present or past tense is used in an introductory phrase linked by che to another phrase in the subjunctive mood or conditional tense. 

One of the most common questions in English, “What am I supposed to do?” could be translated into Italian as, “Cosa si suppone che io faccia?”

Instead of the complex sentence structure above, the multifaceted Italian verb dovere in the present or imperfetto past tense is often called upon to render the English way of thinking in the phrase “supposed to.”  Dovere, with its official translation of “must/to have to” can sometimes take on the meaning of “supposed to” in conversational Italian, as an easy way to bridge the gap between the two languages.

With dovere, the simple English question, “What am I supposed to do?” becomes a simple question in Italian as well: “Che devo fare?”

Dovere is considered a helping verb when used in this way because it modifies the verb that follows to give additional information.

It is important to learn how to use dovere
to communicate “supposed to” easily
in conversational Italian!

In the same way as the English modal verb phrase supposed to,  dovere conjugated into the present or imperfetto past tenses is used to describe an occurrence that has a high probability of happening. The modal verb phrase “supposed to” is used to link duty or a personal obligation to the topics under discussion.

 

What ideas does dovere in the present and imperfetto past tense convey?

Italians use the verb dovere to relay the English way of thinking described in the first section: (1) to describe that something probably will happen and at the same to link duty or a personal obligation to the topic under discussion, (2) to refer to the way an event is expected to or had been planned to unfold, again, highlighting the underlying human expectation or control, (3) to relay how inanimate objects function compared to an expected outcome (often preplanned or preprogrammed), (4) to negate responsibility in reply to advice or for an unforeseen or negative outcome, and (5) to emphasize the feeling of responsibility that underlies the regret for a past action not performed.

For a probable, but not certain occurrence,
to emphasize human expectations or control,
In Italian, conjugate dovere
in the present or imperfetto past tense!

 

How do you use dovere in a sentence to say “supposed to”?

This is easier than in English!

To translate an English sentence that describes what one is “supposed to” do (in the present),  conjugate dovere in the present tense.

To translate an English sentence that describes what one was  “supposed to” do (in the past), conjugate dovere in the imperfetto past tense.

Then simply place the conjugated form of dovere before the infinitive verb it modifies.

Examples from the first section are presented below with their Italian counterparts. Compare the sentence structures for “should” with “supposed to.”  The Italian subject pronoun io is in parentheses, as Italian subject pronouns are normally omitted in conversational Italian.  Once again, notice how the difference in meaning between “should” and “supposed to” is reflected in Italian by the conjugation of dovere in either the conditional, present, or imperfetto past tenses.

•  I  should finish my studies in college this May…
  (io) Dovrei finire i miei studi all’Università questo maggio…
• I am supposed to finish my studies in college this May;
  (io) Devo finire i miei studi…”
• I  should be home before midnight…
  (io) Dovrei essere a casa prima di mezzanotte…
• I am supposed to be home before midnight…
  (io) Devo essere a casa prima di mezzanotte…

• My car should last another two years…
  La mia macchina dovrebbe durare ancora due anni…
• My car is supposed to last another 2 years…
  La mia macchina deve durare ancora due anni…

• You should go to Rome…
  Dovresti andare a Roma…
• But I don’t have the money to move.  What am I supposed to do?
  Ma non ho soldi per trasferirmi. Che devo fare?

• I missed the train.  I’m sorry I am late but what was I supposed to do?
  Ho perso il treno.  Mi dispiace per il ritardo ma che dovevo fare? 

 

The above samples are just a few common phrases that can be heard every day. How many more can you think of?  What are you supposed to be doing today, tomorrow, next year? Where are you supposed to be going — for work, vacation, or maybe to visit a friend or family member?

Add details from your own personal life
to phrases that use dovere,
and build a personal vocabulary
you are supposed to use for real-life practice every day!

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