This is the 100th most frequent German word.
musste
"Musste" means "had to" in English.
In this sentence, "musste" indicates a necessity or obligation in the past, where the subject had to perform a specific action.
Ich musste gestern früh aufstehen.
I had to get up early yesterday.
Here, "musste" expresses a conditional necessity regarding someone's actions in a specific past situation.
Er wusste, dass er pünktlich sein musste.
He knew he had to be punctual.
This usage of "musste" reflects a past compulsion or need as dictated by external circumstances.