Japanese with Manga

Should have brought an umbrella with 〜べきだった

Grammar Explanation: Should be with 〜べきだ

Manga panel from からかい上手の（元）高木さん showing example of Should have brought an umbrella with 〜べきだった.
からかい上手の（元）高木さん » Volume 9 » Page 23

On the way home from shopping, it starts raining.

お母(かあ)さん:
「傘(かさ)持(も)つべきだったねー。」
“We should have brought an umbrella, huh?”
Literal: “We should have held an umbrella, huh?”
お父(とう)さん:
「そうだなー。」
“You're right.”

Key Points

1〜べきだった = should have
  • This is べきだ in the past, so it expresses regret about what would have been the better choice earlier.
  • Here it means they should have brought an umbrella before leaving.
2傘(かさ)持(も)つべきだった
  • The base verb is 傘(かさ)を持(も)つ, “to carry an umbrella”.
  • The object marker を’s omission is a casual spoken shortening.
3Scene nuance: reflection after the mistake is already obvious
  • Because it has already started raining, this is not advice for the future moment.
  • It is a hindsight comment: “We really should have brought one.”

See Also

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