Another "How do you express": Supposed to

One I have a question about is "supposed to." I know that deber is used to express "should," as in debo ir contigo (I should go with you). But, how do you expressed "supposed to" as in: I am supposed to go with you. I was supposed to eat with you.

Well, all I know is what my dictionary tells me :) . My usually reliable Larousse College Dictionary (Spanish - English, Inglés - Español) translates *to be supposed to do something* as *tener que hacer algo* and offers as a further example *you were supposed to wash the dishes* -- *tenías que fregar los platos*. My online Babylon Pro dictionary says that when *supposed* involves obligation or responsibility, either *deber* or *tener que* can be used, and it gives this example: you're supposed to be in bed: *deberías estar en la cama*. Espero que te ayude.

Could you no just make use of the verb suponer to express supposition. Suponía que iba a comer con mi esposa Just a though Sal2 Nev

Let me first say (though I doubt that I need to :) ) that I know relatively little Spanish. However, it seems to me that "I supposed/assumed that I was going to eat with my wife" (which is how I understand "Suponía que iba a comer con mi esposa") means something quite different from "I was supposed to eat with my wife." The latter implies obligation, whereas the former simply indicates an assumption. *Suponer*, I think, means to assume or suppose or guess; I don't think it is synonymous with *deber* or *tener que*. Corrígeme si me equivoco. Gracias!

From what I read at http://www.wordreference.com, I think suponer in the sense I was intending, has to be suponerse que. Suponer means "to suppose" in the sense of to believe or think something. Por ejemplo: Yo supongo que estoy feliz. I suppose I am a happy. In the sense I questioned about, I think it would go something like this: Me supongo que estar al restaurante a las dos. I am supposed to be at the restaurante at two o'clock. Amy, Mauricio?

OK, I just asked mi novia. Se supone que este al restaurante a las dos. I am supposed to be at the restaurant at two. The phrase "se supone que" indicates "supposed to." The subject and verb, or just verb following the que - which is in the subjunctive mood - answers the who is supposed to, and the what they are supposed to do. Why subjunctive? My guess is that "se supone que" would be under the I for Impersonal Expressions in UWEIRDO. Un otro ejemplo: Se supone que tengas hambre! You are supposed to be hungry

Hola taalibeen. I think you're right that the reflexive form of suponer means "is supposed to," but I'm not so sure about the subjunctive. What you say makes a lot of sense, but my Larousse College Dictionary gives two examples of sentences with suponerse, and neither uses the subjunctive: *Se supone que habíamos quedado a las ocho* - We were supposed to meet at eight *Se supone que todos tenemos los mismos derechos* - We're all supposed to have the same rights. In both cases, the verbs (habíamos, tenemos) are in the indicative, not the subjunctive. Perhaps Mauricio or Amy can shed some light on this.

Hello guys, This is a bit of a hard one to explain, so I’m just going to throw a few things out there… “*Suponer*” does mean “To suppose” and can be used to express obligation or doubt, that is why, when translated to English, it can be associate it with “deber” and “assumir”(to assume). You can use the English verb “to suppose” in very much the same way. ¡*Se supone que estas trabajando*! (deber) – You are supposed to be working *Suponía que iba a comer con mi esposa *(Asumir) – I assumed that I was going to eat with my wife. “*Se supone*”… basically means that is common knowledge that something is supposed to be some way, but there is room for doubt. Like let’s say you’ve just seen a dog flying…“Se supone que los perros no vuelan” Supposedly dogs don’t fly… but because you just seen one you are no longer absolutely sure. I hope I haven’t confused you more than helped. this answer is for *Taalibeen*: I am supposed to go with you - Se supone que voy contigo. I was supposed to eat with you – Se suponía que iba a comer contigo. Mauricio.

Thanks very much, Mauricio, for helping to clarify matters. If I've understood you correctly, what I said in my previous posting is right (miracles _do_ happen! :) ). That is, when it's used as a reflexive verb (*suponerse*), *suponer* can mean *supposed to*, implying obligation, and it takes the indicative, not the subjunctive. All the examples you offered used the indicative: *¡Se supone que estas trabajando! Se supone que los perros no vuelan Se supone que voy contigo. Se suponía que iba a comer contigo.* So one doesn't use the subjunctive with suponerse?