No. 419 in Dutch
moesten
"Moesten" is the past tense plural of "moeten," meaning "had to" or "were required to."
In a sentence
Ze moesten naar school fietsen in de regen.
They had to bike to school in the rain.
Here, 'moesten' denotes a past obligation or necessity.
Moesten ze echt zo vroeg vertrekken?
Did they really have to leave so early?
In this interrogative sentence, 'moesten' is used to question a past requirement or obligation.
Wij moesten altijd hard werken om onze doelen te bereiken.
We always had to work hard to achieve our goals.
In this sentence, 'moesten' conveys a repeated necessity in the past.
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