Verb

sollen

Translation

should, ought to, was supposed to

Du solltest mehr schlafen.

You should sleep more.

Er sollte gestern anrufen.

He was supposed to call yesterday.

Das sollte kein Problem sein.

That shouldn't be a problem.

((sb.)) should ((sth.)) + infinitive (sb.) should do (sth.) You should ask a doctor.

((sth.)) should be ... (sth.) should be ... The train should be on time.

müsste (would have to), könnte (could), würde (would)

Past tense and Subjunctive II form of 'sollen'. The '-te' ending is typical for weak verb past tenses and the Subjunctive II of modal verbs.

'Sollte' is the most common way to give friendly advice in German, similar to 'should' in English.