Past obligation (bâyad)

To express a past obligation or regret (what should have happened), Farsi uses the invariant modal باید with the Past Continuous tense.

باید + Past Continuous verb

Because باید is invariant, it never changes. Only the main verb conjugates to match the subject.

Notice how باید stays exactly the same, while the final verbs (می‌کردیم and می‌داد) change to reflect who should have taken action.

This pattern is especially useful when dealing with cancellations, refunds, or customer service mishaps: