censé
The French phrase for 'supposed to' is censé.
censé is used to express an expectation, an obligation or what is meant to happen. In informal speech, you can also use the adverb normalement to convey the sense of how things should or are normally expected to be.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word censé must agree in gender and number with the subject it modifies. Use censée for the feminine singular, censés for the masculine plural and censées for the feminine plural.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful not to confuse censé with sensé. Although they sound identical, censé means 'supposed to', while sensé means 'sensible' or 'logical'.
Did you know?
- The term censé comes from the Latin 'censeo', which originally meant 'to declare' or 'to proclaim'. It shares a root with the word 'census', the official count of a population.
- Because censé and sensé sound exactly the same, French speakers often make spelling mistakes between the two, even in professional writing.
- In very formal French, censé can be used to describe a legal presumption, similar to the English phrase 'presumed to be'.
Examples in context
- Je suis censé partir.I'm supposed to go.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of censé to express an obligation to leave.Tatoeba #5761533 by Thomz, translation #5757497 by CM
- Tu es censé faire ça.You're supposed to do that.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of censé to express an obligation to perform an action.Tatoeba #7029828 by Aiji, translation #6114061 by CK
- Tu es censé dire oui.You're supposed to say yes.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of censé to express an expectation of a specific response.Tatoeba #9034978 by Aiji, translation #2835719 by CK
- Il doit arriver à l'heure.He is supposed to arrive on time.
- Nous devons respecter les règles.We are supposed to follow the rules.
- Elle est censée terminer son travail ce soir.She is supposed to finish her work this evening.
- Vous êtes censés être prêts à partir.You are supposed to be ready to leave.
- Tu dois arriver à l'heure.You're supposed to arrive on time.
- On doit étudier pour le test.We're supposed to study for the test.
- Il devrait normalement venir avec nous.He's supposed to come with us.
- Normalement, elle devrait être là à cette heure-ci.Normally, she should be here by now.
- 255 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Hugo are talking in their kitchen about a delivery.
- LéaLe livreur est censé arriver maintenant.The delivery driver is supposed to arrive now.
- HugoIl y a un problème avec son camion ?Is there a problem with his truck?
- LéaJe ne sais pas, il est en retard.I don't know, he is late.
- HugoPeut-être qu'il s'est trompé de chemin.Maybe he took the wrong way.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries censé, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
