Past and conditional obligation (piti, olisi pitänyt)

Expressing Obligation in the Past

To say that someone "had to" do something in the past, use a verb of obligation like pitää or täytyy in the past tense (piti or täytyi).

The structure remains the same as in the present tense: genitive subject + piti / täytyi + infinitive verb.

We had to evacuate the city because of the flood.
Meidän piti evakuoida kaupunki tulvan takia.
The nurse had to give first aid immediately.
Sairaanhoitajan täytyi antaa ensiapua heti.
The police had to prepare for the storm.
Poliisin piti varautua myrskyyn.

Conditional Past Obligation ("Should have")

To express a hypothetical past obligation—meaning someone should have done something—use the conditional past form.

Form this with olisi (the 3rd-person conditional of olla) followed by the past participle of the obligation verb:

  • pitää becomes olisi pitänyt
  • täytyy becomes olisi täytynyt

Once again, the subject takes the genitive case, and the main action verb remains in the infinitive.

You should have brought your emergency supplies to the civil defense shelter.
Teidän olisi pitänyt tuoda kotivaranne väestönsuojaan.
I should have bought a flashlight, for the power outage was long.
Minun olisi täytynyt ostaa taskulamppu, sillä sähkökatko oli pitkä.
We should have prepared, for the warning was clear.
Meidän olisi pitänyt varautua, sillä varoitus oli selkeä.
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