Breakdown of Ich hätte den Pony nicht selbst schneiden sollen.
ich
I
haben
to have
nicht
not
sollen
should / ought to
Questions & Answers about Ich hätte den Pony nicht selbst schneiden sollen.
Why do we use schneiden instead of the past participle geschnitten?
This is because of the "double infinitive" rule. When you use a modal verb (like sollen) in the past to express a regret or missed obligation, you use hätte followed by two infinitives at the end of the sentence. So instead of the past participle geschnitten, German requires the infinitive schneiden right next to the infinitive sollen.
Wait, den Pony? I thought that meant a small horse!
It can mean a small horse, but in German, der Pony is also the standard word for "bangs" or "a fringe" (the hair cut across your forehead). Because it is the direct object receiving the action of the cut here, the masculine noun takes the accusative form, den Pony.
How does the word order work with three verbs (hätte, schneiden, sollen)?
In a standard main clause, the conjugated helper verb (hätte) takes the second position. All other verbs are pushed to the very end of the sentence. When you have a double infinitive, the main action verb (schneiden) goes first, followed immediately by the modal verb (sollen) at the very end.
Could I say selber instead of selbst here?