требаше да / можеше да

Should Have and Could Have

Level 4Sounds Like trebaše da; možeše da

Требаше да = should have: Требаше да дојдеш порано. (You should have come earlier.) Можеше да = could have: Можеше да ми кажеш. (You could have told me.)

How It Works

In може да; мора да; треба да, треба да means "should" and може да means "can". Put them in the imperfect to look back at the past.

Требаше да

  • "Should have" (a regret or a criticism): Требаше да дојдеш порано. (You should have come earlier.) Не требаше да го купам тоа. (I shouldn't have bought that.)
  • "Was supposed to" (a plan): Возот требаше да стигне во пет. (The train was supposed to arrive at five.)

Требаше stays the same for everyone, like треба: требаше да дојдам, требаше да дојдеме, требаше да дојдат. The person is shown by the verb after да.

Можеше да

  • "Could have" (it was possible, but it did not happen): Можеше да ми кажеш. (You could have told me.) Можеше да биде и полошо. (It could have been worse.)
  • "Was able to" in a plain past story: Од прозорецот можев да го видам морето. (From the window I could see the sea.)

Unlike требаше, можеше agrees with the subject in these meanings: можев, можеше, можеше, можевме, можевте, можеа. So Можеше да ми кажеш is "you could have", and Можеа да ни кажат is "they could have".

After да comes the present, often perfective: да дојдеш, да кажеш. Never put an aorist after да.

For gentle advice about now or later, use би требало да. For "had to" when there really was no choice, use морав да: Морав да станам рано. (I had to get up early.)

Examples (6)

  1. Требаше да дојдеш порано.

    You should have come earlier.

    Word by Word: Was-needed to you-come earlier.

  2. Можеше да ми кажеш.

    You could have told me.

    Word by Word: You-could to me you-tell.

  3. Не требаше да го купам тоа.

    I shouldn't have bought that.

    Word by Word: Not was-needed to it I-buy that.

  4. Возот требаше да стигне во пет, но доцни.

    The train was supposed to arrive at five, but it is late.

    Word by Word: Train-the was-needed to arrive at five, but is-late.

  5. Можеше да биде и полошо.

    It could have been worse.

    Word by Word: Could to be also worse.

  6. Можевме да победиме, ама не успеавме.

    We could have won, but we didn't manage it.

    Word by Word: We-could to we-win, but not we-succeeded.

Common Mistakes

  • Changing требаше for the person.

    Требав да дојдам порано.
    Требаше да дојдам порано.

    In this meaning, треба has one form for everyone: требаше. The person is shown by дојдам.

  • Leaving можеше in the he/she form for a plural subject.

    Тие можеше да ни кажат.
    Тие можеа да ни кажат.

    When it means "could have" or "was able to", можеше agrees with its subject, unlike требаше. For "they could have", use можеа.

  • Using the aorist after да.

    Требаше да дојдов порано.
    Требаше да дојдам порано.

    After да, always use a present form: да дојдам. The "past" meaning comes from требаше.

How It Connects

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требаше да / можеше даLevel 4Should Have and Could Have

Learn This First

Should have and could have combine the modals and the imperfect.

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Words in This Pattern

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