ENGLISH
REFERENCE

be meant to do sth

fixed phr..
C1 Advanced Oxford

fixed phr.. you use this when someone expects you to do something because of a rule, a duty, or a plan.

fixed phr.. a semi-auxiliary construction used to express obligation, expectation, or the intended purpose of an action based on external requirements.


SIMPLE

I am meant to do my homework before dinner.

CONTEXTUAL

You were meant to do the dishes this morning, but you left them in the sink.

COMPLEX

The new legislation was meant to do away with bureaucratic delays, yet it seems to have inadvertently created several new layers of administrative complexity.

Usage

always used in the passive form ('be meant') followed by a to-infinitive.

Teaching tip

contrast this with 'supposed to'; while often interchangeable, 'meant to' can imply a deeper sense of destiny or original purpose.

Pitfall

I meant to do it.I was meant to do it.without the verb 'to be', the meaning changes from an external expectation to a personal intention.

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