moet/kan ... het
Guessing About the Past: Moet ... Het
Guess about the past: Hy moet siek gewees het. (He must have been sick.) Sy kan dit vergeet het. (She may have forgotten it.)
How It Works
1. The pattern. The modal takes second place, and the ge- form and het go to the end:
- Hy moet siek gewees het. (He must have been sick.) This is a strong guess.
- Sy kan dit vergeet het. (She may have forgotten it.) This is a possibility.
This is the past of guessing with sal and moet: Hy moet siek wees guesses about now, and Hy moet siek gewees het guesses about before.
2. The ge- form. Use the normal past form of the verb. Verbs that start with ver- or be- take no ge- (see participle without ge-), and separable verbs put ge- inside: Iemand moet die deur oopgelaat het. (Someone must have left the door open.)
3. Impossible: kan nie ... het nie. Dit kan nie waar gewees het nie. (That can't have been true.) The closing nie comes after het.
4. Other modals.
- Sal ... het is also a guess: Hy sal al aangekom het. (He will have arrived by now.)
- Kon ... het often means could have, a chance that was missed.
- Moes ... het usually means should have: Jy moes my gebel het. (You should have called me.) For a clear guess, use moet.
Examples (6)
- Hy moet siek gewees het.
He must have been sick.
Word by Word: He must sick been have.
- Sy kan dit vergeet het.
She may have forgotten it.
Word by Word: She can it forgotten have.
- Die trein moet al vertrek het.
The train must have left already.
Word by Word: The train must already left have.
- Iemand moet die deur oopgelaat het.
Someone must have left the door open.
Word by Word: Someone must the door open-left have.
Ooplaat is a separable verb, so ge- goes inside it: oopgelaat.
- Hulle kan verdwaal het.
They may have got lost.
Word by Word: They can lost-got have.
Verdwaal starts with ver-, so its past form has no ge-.
- Dit kan nie waar gewees het nie.
That can't have been true.
Word by Word: It can not true been have not.
Common Mistakes
Leaving out het.
Hy moet siek gewees.Hy moet siek gewees het.The ge- form needs het after it, just as in the normal past.
Using the present form for a guess about the past.
Hy moet gister siek wees.Hy moet gister siek gewees het.Gister points to the past, so the guess needs the ge- form and het.
Using moet nie for can't have.
Dit moet nie waar gewees het nie.Dit kan nie waar gewees het nie.Moet nie sounds like a rule. To say that something is impossible, use kan nie.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Guessing about the past combines a guess modal with het.
Related Patterns
- kon ... hetCould Have: Kon ... Het
Kon ... het means could have and can also be a careful guess.
Level 4 - sal ... hetWill Have Done: Sal ... Het
Sal + ge- form + het is another way to guess about the past.
Level 3 - Participles Without ge-
Explains past forms such as vergeet and verdwaal without ge-.
Level 2 - het + ge-The Past Tense: Het + Ge-
The normal past, which gives the ge- form and het used here.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice moet/kan ... het in Bubblegum
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