Learn French: Nous devions demander au comptoir. - We were supposed to ask at the counter.

When devoir is used in the imparfait (like devions), it often translates to "was/were supposed to" or "was meant to." It describes a past state of obligation, leaving it uncertain whether the action actually took place. You had an obligation to ask, but you might not have done it.

If I wanted to say "We had to ask at the counter (and we did)," how would that change the sentence?

You would use the passé composé and say Nous avons dû demander au comptoir. Using the passé composé for devoir shifts the meaning from an unfulfilled or ongoing obligation to a completed one: you had to do it, and you actually followed through and did it.

Could nous devions demander also mean "we used to have to ask"?

Yes! Because the imparfait is also used for habitual actions in the past, this sentence could translate to "We used to have to ask at the counter" (for example, before a store installed a self-service kiosk). The surrounding context of the conversation would make it clear whether it means "we were supposed to" (a single, uncompleted event) or "we used to have to" (a recurring past event).

Why use au comptoir instead of sur le comptoir?