B1-73 · Talk about past mistakes with hätte … sollen
Cultural misunderstandings
Use hätte with a double infinitive to say what someone should, could or would have had to do differently after a misunderstanding about politeness or gestures.
About 5 minutes to read · 12 quiz questions
01
What I should have done
Murat was invited to dinner at a colleague's home, and several things went wrong. To say what would have been right, use hätte, the infinitive of the main verb and sollen at the end: Ich hätte pünktlich kommen sollen. Both verbs at the end are infinitives, so this is called a double infinitive.
Ich hätte pünktlich kommen sollen.
I should have arrived on time.
Ich hätte vorher anrufen sollen.
I should have called beforehand.
Murat hätte Blumen mitbringen sollen.
Murat should have brought flowers.
Wir hätten die Schuhe ausziehen sollen.
We should have taken our shoes off.
Never use the participle gesollt here: say hätte … kommen sollen, not hätte … kommen gesollt. Hätte changes with the subject: ich hätte, wir hätten.
02
Should, could, had to
The same pattern works with other modal verbs. Hätte … müssen describes something that was necessary but did not happen. Hätte … können describes a chance that was missed. The modal verb is always the last word.
| Person | Form of hätte |
|---|---|
| I | ich hätte |
| you (informal) | du hättest |
| he / she | er / sie hätte |
| we | wir hätten |
| you (plural) | ihr hättet |
| they / you (formal) | sie / Sie hätten |
Du hättest den Chef siezen müssen.
You really should have addressed the boss as Sie.
Sie hätte einfach nachfragen können.
She could simply have asked.
Ich hätte ihm die Hand geben sollen.
I should have shaken his hand.
Ihr hättet nicht so laut sprechen sollen.
You shouldn't have spoken so loudly.
Siezen means to address someone with Sie, and duzen means to use du. Die Hand geben means to shake hands. Nachfragen means to ask again when something is unclear.
03
Regrets in conversation
Hätte stays in second position, even when another element starts the sentence: Beim Essen hätte ich … The two infinitives close the sentence. Put nicht before them when you regret something you did.
Das hätte ich nicht sagen sollen.
I shouldn't have said that.
Beim Essen hätte ich nicht auf mein Handy schauen sollen.
I shouldn't have looked at my phone during the meal.
Vielleicht hättest du ihn direkt fragen sollen.
Maybe you should have asked him directly.
Keine Sorge, das hätte jedem passieren können.
Don't worry, that could have happened to anyone.
The modal comes after the main verb: sagen sollen, not sollen sagen. Das hätte jedem passieren können is a friendly way to reassure someone.
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