“should” in Latin

(A) (A) Implying duty, propriety, etc., (1) debeo: oportet (oportet denoting objectively the moral claim that is made upon anybody; debeo, subjectively the moral obligation that he is under). ☞ The perfect infinitive after “should” is usually translated by the present infinitive, debuit facere = “he should have done it.” Let the pupil also observe, that before the English perfect infinitive, a past tense of debeo, oportet should be used. (2) The gerundive or participle in dus. “Friendship should be desired for its own sake,” amicitia propter se expetenda est. “Should” is translated in this way to denote general truths, etc. (B) Should (as the past tense of shall) is often a future (being the form which the English future assumes after a past tense). He said that he should sail, etc., dixit se navigaturum esse. (C) Should is often a conditional form, to be translated by the present or imperfect subjunctive (the imperfect especially, but not exclusively, when it is implied that the condition is not realized; the present is by far the more common when this is not to be implied). It occurs both in the conditional and in the consequent clause: si Scipionis desiderio me moveri negem - mentiar (if I should deny, etc., I should tell a lie): si forte quaereretur, etc., putarem (if it should be inquired, etc., I should think). (D) Sometimes “should” is used as a modest expression of what one does not really doubt; as, I should think, etc., putem; where, for the present subjunctive, the perfect is also, used, crediderim (I should imagine). Velim, nolim, malim, are very common forms: E) Sometimes “should,” after “that,” has no potential, future, or conditional meaning, and is translated by the present infinitive. It is strange that you should say so, mirum est te haec dice re.