# Đáng lẽ / lẽ ra: should have in Vietnamese (B1)

> Đáng lẽ at the start of a sentence says what should have happened, but didn't: Đáng lẽ anh phải nói với em sớm hơn. You should have told me sooner.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/dang-le-should-have/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**should have**

Pattern: `Đáng lẽ / Lẽ ra + [person] + (phải / nên) + [verb]`

Level: B1 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: dang le, le ra

Variants:

- đáng lý (ra)
- lẽ ra

*Đáng lẽ* at the start of a sentence says what should have happened, but didn't: *Đáng lẽ anh phải nói với em sớm hơn.* You should have told me sooner. *Phải* (must) or *nên* (should) usually follows, before the verb. With *phải* it's a duty that was missed; with *nên*, advice in hindsight: *Đáng lẽ mình nên đi sớm hơn.* We should have left earlier.

It also describes a plan that fell through, "was supposed to", and then *mà* or *nhưng* says what happened instead: *Đáng lẽ hôm nay em được nghỉ, mà sếp kêu đi làm.* I was supposed to be off today, but my boss called me in.

*Đáng lẽ ra*, *đáng lý (ra)* and *lẽ ra* mean the same. All of them are mainly spoken; you'll rarely see them in the news.

You know *nên* for advice about now or later: *Em nên đi ngủ sớm.* With *đáng lẽ* in front, the same advice looks back: *Đáng lẽ em nên đi ngủ sớm.* I should have gone to bed early. For "if I had …, I would have …", use *nếu … thì … đã*.

## A common mistake

✗ Em nên đã gọi cho chị.

✓ Đáng lẽ em phải gọi cho chị.

Vietnamese doesn't build "should have" from *nên* and *đã*. Start the sentence with *đáng lẽ* instead.

## Examples

- Đáng lẽ anh phải nói với em sớm hơn. — You should have told me sooner.
- Đáng lẽ mình nên đi sớm hơn. — We should have left earlier.
- Saigon: Đáng lẽ hôm nay em được nghỉ, mà sếp kêu đi làm. | Hà Nội: Đáng lẽ hôm nay em được nghỉ, nhưng sếp bảo đi làm. — I was supposed to be off today, but my boss called me in.
- Saigon: Lẽ ra tôi không nên nói vậy. | Hà Nội: Lẽ ra tôi không nên nói thế. — I shouldn't have said that.

## Compare

- [Should: nên + verb](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/nen-should/): should
- [If it had …, would have: nếu (như) … thì … đã](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/neu-unreal-past/): if … had (unreal)

Previous in Can, must, should, want: [I'm afraid that: sợ (là), e (là)](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/so-la-afraid/)
Next in Can, must, should, want: [Who knows, maybe: biết đâu](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/biet-dau-maybe/)

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