Expectations: supposed to

Be supposed + infinitive is used to say what people have to do (or not do) according to the rules or the law, or to say what is (not) expected to happen.

• Catholics are supposed to go to church on Sundays.
• We’re supposed to pay the Council Tax at the beginning of the month.
• You’re not supposed to park on double yellow lines.

There is often a suggestion that things do not happen as planned or expected.

• This country is supposed to be a democracy.
• Lucy was supposed to come to lunch. What’s happened?

Questions with supposed to can suggest that there are problems.

• The train’s already left. What are we supposed to do now?
• How am I supposed to finish all this work by ten o’clock?
• That’s a lovely picture, but what’s it supposed to be?

Another use of supposed to is to say what is generally believed.

• He’s supposed to be quite rich, you know.
• This stuff is supposed to kill flies. Let’s try it.

Note the pronunciation: /səˈpəʊst tə/, not /səˈpəʊzd tə/.