student asking question

Could you tell me the meaning and usage of "be supposed to ~"?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

To be "supposed to" is an idiom that means something is expected to happen but it may not necessarily happen or be done. It can also often be used to express that someone should or must do something, or something should happen, because it is a general expectation. In this case, "supposed to be here" means that they were meant to be there because it was their destiny or because it was known to be the right thing. Ex: She is supposed to fly in tomorrow at 3pm. Ex: Where are they? They were supposed to arrive an hour ago. Ex: Parents are supposed to support their children.

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