-meliydi

Should Have

Level 4

The pattern -meliydi is used to talk about things that were necessary in the past but didn't happen. It often expresses regret or criticism.

How It Works

The -meliydi construction is a compound tense that combines 'necessity' with 'past time'.

1. Meaning:
It translates to 'should have' or 'ought to have'. Because it describes a necessity that was not met, it naturally carries a tone of:

  • Regret: When talking about oneself (e.g., 'I should have studied').
  • Criticism: When talking about others (e.g., 'You should have told me').

2. Formation:

  • Positive: Verb Stem + -malı/-meli + y + -dı/-di + Personal Ending.
  • Negative: Verb Stem + -me/-ma + -malı/-meli + y + -dı/-di + Personal Ending.
  • Question: Verb Stem + -malı/-meli mı/mi + y + -dı/-di + Personal Ending.

3. Structural Rules:

4. Usage Note:
Unlike the base form -meli, which can sometimes mean 'must be' (inference), -meliydi is almost always about obligation. To say 'He must have forgotten' (inference), Turkish uses a different structure: unutmuş olmalı.

Examples (6)

  1. Daha dikkatli olmalıydın.

    You should have been more careful.

    Word by Word: More careful be-should-past-you.

    This is a common way to criticize someone for a past mistake.

  2. Bu kitabı daha önce okumalıydım.

    I should have read this book sooner.

    Word by Word: This book-acc more before read-should-past-I.

    Here, the speaker is expressing personal regret about not reading the book earlier.

  3. Toplantıya zamanında gelmeliydiler.

    They should have come to the meeting on time.

    Word by Word: Meeting-dat time-loc come-should-past-they.

    This expresses an unfulfilled expectation regarding someone else's behavior.

  4. Ona yalan söylememeliydin.

    You shouldn't have lied to him/her.

    Word by Word: To-him/her lie tell-not-should-past-you.

    The negative form is created by adding the negative suffix -me/-ma before -meli.

  5. Oraya gitmeli miydik?

    Should we have gone there?

    Word by Word: There-dat go-should [question] past-we?

    In questions, the past tense suffix and person ending attach to the question particle.

  6. Dün akşam bize uğramalıydın.

    You should have stopped by (our place) last night.

    Word by Word: Yesterday evening to-us stop-by-should-past-you.

    A friendly way to express that someone was missed or should have visited.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting the buffer 'y' between the suffixes.

    Gitmelidin.
    Gitmeliydin.

    Because -meli ends in a vowel, the buffer -y- is mandatory to connect it to the past copula -(y)di.

  • Using -meliydi for logical inferences (must have).

    Anahtarını evde unutmalıydı.
    Anahtarını evde unutmuş olmalı.

    -meliydi means 'he should have forgotten' (as a duty), which makes little sense here. To say 'He must have forgotten' (logical guess), use -muş olmalı.

How It Connects

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

-meliydiLevel 4Should Have

Learn This First

The pattern '-meliydi' is a compound structure that combines the necessitative mood ('should') with the past tense marker ('was/did'). To understand it, you need to know how to express obligation and how to attach the past tense suffix to words ending in a vowel using the buffer consonant -y-.

Words in This Pattern

-meli-di