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)

This is both the simple past (Präteritum) and Subjunctive II (Konjunktiv II) form of 'sollen'. The '-te' suffix marks it as such.

Think of 'sollte' as the German equivalent of 'should' for giving advice. It's softer and more polite than 'soll'.