Breakdown of Du borde ha börjat buda när antikviteten kom fram.
du
you (singular)
ha
to have
börja
to start
när
when
Questions & Answers about Du borde ha börjat buda när antikviteten kom fram.
Why do we use the supine form börjat here instead of the past tense började?
This sentence expresses an unfulfilled past obligation. After the helper phrase borde ha (should have), you must use the supine form börjat. This works just like English, where you use a past participle after the auxiliary verb have.
Is it possible to drop the word ha in this sentence?
Yes! In spoken and informal written Swedish, it is extremely common to drop ha between past-tense modal verbs like borde, kunde, or skulle and the supine verb. Saying Du borde börjat is perfectly correct and sounds very natural.
Why is there no att before buda? Doesn't the sentence mean 'started to bid'?
While you can grammatically say börjat att buda, Swedish almost always drops the infinitive marker att after verbs that indicate the start, stop, or continuation of an action, such as börja and sluta. The infinitive buda simply attaches directly to the previous verb.
I know the verb bjuda means to invite or offer. Is buda related?
Yes, buda is derived from bjuda, but it has taken on a very specific, practical meaning. You use buda specifically when talking about placing bids in an auction or bidding on a house.