How to say I should do (something)
The English word “should” is translated into Italian using the present conditional form of the verb dovere.
This is the conjugation of “should” in Italian:
| Subject | Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| io | dovrei | I should |
| tu | dovresti | you should |
| lui/lei | dovrebbe | he/she should |
| noi | dovremmo | we should |
| voi | dovreste | you should (plural) |
| loro | dovrebbero | they should |
Just like in English, “should” always requires the use of the infinitive tense (the unconjugated verb). In other words, the various forms of dovrei are always followed by an infinitive in Italian.
For example:
| dovrei mangiare | I should eat |
| dovresti guidare | You should drive |
| dovrebbe pagare | She should pay |
| dovremmo correre | We should run |
| dovreste cucinare | You should cook |
| dovrebbero parlare | They should speak |
To form the negative of “should” (should not/shouldn’t), simply place “non” before the various forms of dovrei.
| io | non dovrei | I shouldn’t |
| tu | non dovresti | you shouldn’t |
| lui/lei | non dovrebbe | he/she shouldn’t |
| noi | non dovremmo | we shouldn’t |
| voi | non dovreste | you shouldn’t (plural) |
| loro | non dovrebbero | they shouldn’t |
This form of the conditional is especially used to give advice or make a recommendation to someone.
- Dovresti studiare di più – You should study more.
- Non dovresti fumare così tanto – You shouldn’t smoke so much.
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To say that you should have done something in Italian, you need to use the past conditional of the verb dovere, which is:
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| avrei dovuto + infinitive | I should have + past participle (generic) |
| sarei dovuto/a + infinitive | I should have + past participle (gender specific) |
This is a compound form, and so the choice of the correct auxiliary (essere vs. avere) depends on the nature of the verb that follows “dovuto.”
If the verb following is an intransitive verb, we’ll use the auxiliary essere and make sure that the participle dovuto agrees with the gender and number of the subject:
for example:
| sarei dovuto andare | I should have gone (masculine) |
| sarei dovuta andare | I should have gone (feminine) |
| saremmo dovuti andare | We should have gone (masculine plural) |
| saremmo dovute andare | We should have gone (feminine plural) |
If the verbs that follows “dovuto” is a transitive verb, and so, to be conjugated with the avere auxiliary, the participle dovuto stays the same.
For example
- avrei dovuto fare – I should have done
- avremmo dovuto fare – we should have done
Should do vs. should have done in Italian
More examples using ‘should do something’ or ‘should have done something’ in Italian:
Present Tense:
| Dovrei giocare a tennis | I should play tennis |
| Dovremmo iniziare un nuovo blog | We should start a new blog |
| Dovresti allenarti più spesso | You should exercise more often |
| Non dovrebbe andare a lavoro perché è malata | She shouldn’t go to work because she is sick |
| Non dovremmo spendere così tanti soldi | We shouldn’t spend so much money |
| Dovreste investire soldi in quest’azienda | You should invest money in this company |
Past Tense:
| Avrei dovuto giocare a tennis | I should have played tennis |
| Avremmo dovuto iniziare un nuovo blog | We should have started a new blog |
| Avresti dovuto allenarti più spesso | You should have exercised more often |
| Non sarebbe dovuta andare a lavoro perché è malata | She shouldn’t have gone to work because she is sick |
| Non avremmo dovuto spendere così tanti soldi | We shouldn’t have spent so much money |
| Avreste dovuto investire soldi in quest’azienda | You should have invested money in this company |
