Question 1

How would I apply this lesson's grammar to say 'Everyone is supposed to sing the national anthem'?

Accepted Answer

You would use être censé followed by the infinitive verb. The sentence becomes: Tout le monde est censé chanter l'hymne national. Notice that censé stays masculine singular to agree with the grammatical subject, Tout le monde.

Question 2

Since Tout le monde refers to a group of people, shouldn't the verb be plural?

Accepted Answer

Even though tout le monde means "everyone" (literally "all the world"), it is grammatically a singular subject. It always takes a third-person singular verb, exactly like il or elle. English actually does the exact same thing: we say "everyone sings," not "everyone sing."

Question 3

Is the word hymne masculine or feminine?

Accepted Answer

It is masculine in this context, which is why it takes the masculine adjective national. When un hymne refers to a national anthem or a secular, celebratory song, it is masculine. However, it is a famously tricky word because it becomes feminine (une hymne) when referring specifically to religious hymns sung in a church.

Question 4

If I change this to Tout le monde est censé chanter, is it ever correct to spell it sensé?

Accepted Answer

No, though confusing the two is a very common mistake even for native French speakers! Censé (with a 'c') means "supposed to" or "expected to." Sensé (with an 's') means "sensible" or "reasonable." Because you mean "supposed to," you must use the spelling with a 'c'.

Tout le monde chante l'hymne national.

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