When blending delicate perfumes, a missed step can ruin an entire batch. To express that an action should have happened in the past but didn't (an unfulfilled obligation), Farsi uses the fixed impersonal words میبایست or بایست.
Forming Unfulfilled Obligations
Place میبایست before the main verb. The main verb is usually conjugated in the Past Continuous tense (the prefix می + past stem + personal ending). As an impersonal form, میبایست stays exactly the same regardless of the subject.
| I should have added two drops of this extract to the perfume. | من میبایست دو قطره از این عصاره را به عطر اضافه میکردم.man mibâyest do ghatre az in osâre râ be atr ezâfe mikardam. |
| The professor should have read this delicate formula. | استاد میبایست این فرمول حساس را میخواند.ostâd mibâyest in formul hassâs râ mikhând. |
The Shorter Form
You will also see the shorter form بایست, which means the exact same thing and follows the same rules.
| You should have mixed the pure jasmine extract with it. | تو بایست عصارهی خالص یاس را با آن مخلوط میکردی.to bâyest 'osâre-ye khâles yâs râ bâ ân makhlut mikardi. |
Using with the Verb "To Be"
To express that something "should have been" a certain way, use the past continuous form of "to be" (بودن), which is میبود.
| Every drop of this perfume should have been pure and mild. | هر قطره از این عطر میبایست خالص و ملایم میبود.har qatre az in atr mibâyest khâles va molâyem mibud. |
In Context
Use this structure to point out past mistakes or explain why a current situation isn't working out.
| I do not sense the smell of jasmine; you should have opened that bottle. | من بوی یاس را حس نمیکنم، تو میبایست آن بطری را باز میکردی.man buye yâs râ hess nemikonam, to mibâyest ân botri râ bâz mikardi. |
| Whether the formula was cheap or expensive, they should have bought the pure extract. | چه فرمول ارزان بود چه گران، آنها میبایست عصارهی خالص را میخریدند.che formul arzân bud che gerân, ânhâ mibâyest osâre-ye khâles râ mikharidand. |