Word
Du havde skullet undlade at afsløre hans hemmelighed.
Meaning
You had been supposed to refrain from revealing his secret.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Du havde skullet undlade at afsløre hans hemmelighed.
How does the compound tense structure havde skullet undlade work here?
This sentence uses the past perfect tense of a modal verb. It is formed with the auxiliary havde (had), the past participle of the modal verb skulle (which is skullet), and the bare infinitive of the main verb undlade (refrain). Together, it expresses a past obligation: "had been supposed to refrain".
Why does skullet translate to "supposed to" rather than "had to"?
The modal skulle expresses an expectation, duty, or plan rather than absolute necessity (which would be måtte). In a past compound tense like havde skullet, it specifically conveys an unfulfilled past expectation, matching the English "had been supposed to".
Why is there an at before afsløre, but not before undlade?
undlade directly follows the modal verb skullet, and modals always take a bare infinitive (no at). However, undlade (to refrain or omit) is a regular verb, not a modal. When it is followed by another verb action, it requires the infinitive marker at, similar to how English uses "refrain from" plus an "-ing" verb.
Why do we use hans instead of sin for "his secret"?