Breakdown of Моя сестра должна была прийти раньше, но попала в пробку.
мой
my
сестра
the sister
но
but
прийти
to come
Questions & Answers about Моя сестра должна была прийти раньше, но попала в пробку.
What exactly does должна была mean here? Is it more like had to or was supposed to?
Должна была literally combines:
- должна – must / ought to (feminine form of должен)
- была – was (past tense of быть, to be)
Together, должна была means “was supposed to / had to (but didn’t)”.
Very often in Russian, должен был / должна была + infinitive implies that the expected action did not happen:
- Моя сестра должна была прийти раньше…
→ She was supposed to come earlier (but didn’t).
Context confirms this, because the second part explains why she didn’t: но попала в пробку (but she got stuck in traffic).
Why is it должна, not должен?