Expressing Expectations with "être censé"
To talk about what someone is "supposed to" do according to le savoir-vivre (etiquette), use être censé followed by an infinitive.
Because censé acts as an adjective, it must agree in gender and number with the subject: add an -e for feminine subjects and an -s for plurals.
| You are supposed to respect punctuality. | Tu es censé respecter la ponctualité. |
| According to etiquette, we are supposed to bring a gift. | Selon le savoir-vivre, nous sommes censés apporter un cadeau. |
Negation and Past Expectations
When discussing serious situations like le deuil (mourning), you might say someone is generally not supposed to do something by negating the verb être.
| You are not supposed to laugh during the mourning. | Vous n'êtes pas censés rire pendant le deuil. |
To say that someone is expected not to do a specific action (like offenser the host), place ne pas directly in front of the infinitive.
| You are supposed not to offend the guests. | Tu es censé ne pas offenser les invités. |
To talk about an expectation in the past ("was supposed to"), put être in the imperfect tense.
| She was supposed to thank the host, but she offended him. | Elle était censée remercier l'hôte, mais elle l'a offensé. |
Customs and Traditions
You will frequently use this grammar when explaining local ceremonies, such as remaining debout (standing) or avoiding behaviors that are mal vu (frowned upon).
| The guests are supposed to remain standing. | Les invités sont censés rester debout. |
| Arriving late is frowned upon. You are supposed to be on time. | Arriver en retard est mal vu. Tu es censé être à l'heure. |