चाहिए था

What Should Have Happened

Level 4Sounds Like cāhi'ē thā

चाहिए था means should have.

How It Works

-ना चाहिए gives advice: आपको आराम करना चाहिए (You should rest). Add था, and the advice moves to the past. It now says what should have happened, and usually means it did not: आपको आराम करना चाहिए था। (You should have rested.)

The person takes को or a को form such as मुझे, तुम्हें or उसे.

For shouldn't have, put नहीं before the infinitive: मुझे इतना नहीं खाना चाहिए था (I shouldn't have eaten so much).

When the infinitive has an object without को, the infinitive and था usually agree with that object:

ObjectExample
Masculine: काममुझे काम पूरा करना चाहिए था।
Feminine: दवाउसे दवा लेनी चाहिए थी।
Feminine: बाततुम्हें यह बात नहीं कहनी चाहिए थी।

In everyday speech many people keep the -ना form and था for every object: उसे दवा लेना चाहिए था. You will hear both; the agreeing form is the standard one.

Don't drop था when you mean the past. Without it, the sentence is advice for now or later.

After a noun, चाहिए था has a different meaning: मुझे पानी चाहिए था means I needed water.

Examples (5)

  1. तुम्हें पहले बताना चाहिए था।

    You should have told me earlier.

    तुम्हें is the को form of तुम.

  2. मुझे इतना नहीं खाना चाहिए था।

    I shouldn't have eaten so much.

    नहीं before the infinitive gives shouldn't have.

  3. हमें घर से जल्दी निकलना चाहिए था।

    We should have left home earlier.

    निकलना has no object, so the form stays masculine: चाहिए था.

  4. उसे दवा समय पर लेनी चाहिए थी।

    He should have taken his medicine on time.

    लेनी and थी agree with feminine दवा.

  5. तुम्हें यह बात सबके सामने नहीं कहनी चाहिए थी।

    You shouldn't have said this in front of everyone.

    बात is feminine, so कहनी चाहिए थी.

Common Mistakes

  • Dropping था when you mean should have.

    कल तुम्हें मेरी पार्टी में आना चाहिए।
    कल तुम्हें मेरी पार्टी में आना चाहिए था।

    Without था this is advice, and कल is read as tomorrow: You should come to my party tomorrow. था moves it to the past.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

चाहिए थाLevel 4What Should Have Happened

Learn This First

Should have is should plus था.

Words in This Pattern

चाहनाहोनाको-ना-ना