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Powinien był uniknąć trudnych pytań.

Powinien był uniknąć trudnych pytań.
He should have avoided difficult questions.
From Lesson 400:Past unfulfilled obligations (powinienem był)·Polish

Questions & Answers about Powinien był uniknąć trudnych pytań.

How does adding 'był' change the meaning of 'powinien' in this sentence?
On its own, powinien means 'should' in the present or general sense. By adding the past tense helper word był, it becomes 'should have' - emphasizing a past unfulfilled obligation. It clearly shows that he was supposed to avoid those questions in the past, but he failed to do so.
Can I drop 'był' in everyday conversation and just say 'Powinien uniknąć trudnych pytań'?
Yes, in casual spoken Polish, native speakers often drop był and rely on past context to show they mean 'should have.' However, using powinien był as shown here is the most precise and grammatically correct way to express that an obligation in the past was not met.
Why is 'trudnych pytań' used instead of the accusative case?
The verb uniknąć (to avoid) strictly requires its object to be in the genitive case. Therefore, we use the genitive plural forms trudnych (from the adjective trudny) and pytań (from the neuter noun pytanie).
Why use the perfective verb 'uniknąć' instead of the imperfective 'unikać'?
The perfective uniknąć focuses on a single, specific event, such as a specific press conference or interview where he should have dodged the questions. If you wanted to say 'He should have made a habit of avoiding difficult questions' over a period of time, you would use the imperfective unikać.

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