Past unreal passive with modals (hätte ... werden müssen)

Setting the Scene

Setting up a world record attempt requires precision. When things go wrong, we often look at the causes. To say "due to" or "because of," use the preposition aufgrund followed by the Genitive case.

Past Unreal Passive with Modals

When looking back at a disastrous domino attempt, you will likely need to express what should have been done. To combine the Past Unreal Passive with a modal verb, you use a four-part verb structure.

1. Place the Konjunktiv II form of haben (hätte or hätten, depending on the subject) in Position 2. (Notice we use haben here instead of sein, because modal verbs form their past perfect with haben.)
2. At the very end of the sentence, build a three-verb cluster: the Past Participle of your main verb, followed immediately by werden, and finally the Modal Infinitive (like müssen).

This creates the strict final cluster: Past Participle + werden + müssen.

Using Können and Sollen

You can change the nuance of the sentence simply by swapping the modal verb at the very end of the cluster. The grammatical rules and word order remain exactly the same.

Use können to express what could have been done, and sollen to express what ought to have been done.