Learn French: Tu étais censé rester debout pendant la chanson. - You were supposed to remain standing during the song.

Tu étais censé rester debout pendant la chanson.

You were supposed to remain standing during the song.

Breakdown of Tu étais censé rester debout pendant la chanson.

you (informal singular)

for / during (duration)

Questions & Answers about Tu étais censé rester debout pendant la chanson.

Why is être censé in the imperfect tense (étais censé) here rather than the passé composé?

We use the imperfect because 'being supposed to' describes an ongoing state of expectation or a background plan in the past. It wasn't a single, completed action. Using the imperfect here also cleverly implies that this was the plan, but you didn't actually follow it!

Does censé need to agree with the subject?

Yes, censé acts as an adjective and agrees with the subject in gender and number. Since it is spelled censé here without an extra 'e', we know Tu refers to a male. If speaking to a female, it would be Tu étais censée, though the pronunciation remains identical.

Could I write sensé here instead, since it sounds exactly the same?

No, that's a classic spelling trap even for native speakers! Censé with a c means 'supposed to' and is almost always followed by an infinitive verb. Sensé with an s means 'sensible' or 'reasonable' (like someone with good sense).

How exactly does rester debout translate to 'remain standing'?

Debout is an invariable adverb meaning 'upright' or 'on one's feet.' It is a state, not an action (the action of standing up is se lever). To express the continuous state of being on your feet, you pair debout with a state verb like être (to be) or, as in this sentence, rester (to stay/remain).