SuGoiSuす語彙すGrammar › N3 · 07 Appearance, hearsay & certainty
〜はずだった: was supposed to; was expected to
N3 · 07 Appearance, hearsay & certainty
Says that something was expected but did not turn out that way.
Plain form + はずだった. The expectation was real but the result was different, so the sentence often continues with a contrast (のに, が). Compare 〜はずだ (expect now) and 〜つもりだった (had planned).
Examples
今日は友達と会うはずだったが、急に仕事が入った。
I was supposed to meet a friend today, but work suddenly came up.
この時計は昨日届くはずだったのに、まだ来ない。
This watch was supposed to arrive yesterday, but it still hasn't come.