Tenías que estar ayudándome con la compra

Question

Just started watching a movie, this is the first line.

Tenías que estar ayudándome con la compra.

Seems like you should be helping me with the groceries, or you're supposed to be, but I can't dig on Tenías que there, is it like, different from tuviste que because it's something ..... well I can't figure it out right now, what's the deal with that?

Gracias.

Answer 1

Correct.

Also, maybe what you heard was "tenías que estar ayudándome con las compras

That is to say with the process of buying groceries or maybe contributing with money.

Else, "...with buying (the name of the item)", again with the decision process and/or with money.

Answer 2

It's like michellech has said. "You should have been helping me with...",

Tenías que estar ayudándome cannot be the same as "you should have been helping me"

"Tenías que haber estado ayudándome" would be the correct structure for "you shold have been helping me" ...

i never can figure out how to translate tener when it's in a past tense like that. i'm not sure how it translates. i put had because in English we say ''have'' for tener. It confuses me. Sigo sin entender... - michellech, Oct 8, 2011

I know, it's the same diference between past perfect and past simple, but I don't know much about grammar so I tried to explain it trough an example. - ale_rd, Oct 8, 2011

yeah, it's confusing because it's using past imperfect ''tenías que'' and then has ''estar'' in the present. - michellech, Oct 8, 2011

Answer 3

It's like michellech has said. "You should have been helping me with...", but it's not exactly the same. I mean, you had to do something, but you didn't do it! I'm just reproaching you ** for haven't done something that you had to.

PD: * "por no haber hecho", I don't know how to say that

I'm reproaching you ''for not doing it'' you could say : ) directamente or ''I'm reproaching you for not having done it. It's a matter of preference in which tense you want to use. Same idea comes across. - michellech, Oct 8, 2011

I like "for not doing it" more than the second one. I'll use it :P. Thanks! - ale_rd, Oct 8, 2011

Answer 4

I wanna say ''You should have been helping me with the purchase.'' algo así... maybe? let's see what other people say.

Answer 5

So we've got "Tenías que" and "debes de" and "deberías" for should then. I didn't know Tenías que could be used in that fashion. Oh and hay que for a less commanding way to say it. Like hay que perder peso, debes de perder peso, deberías perder peso, Tenías que all mean a similar thing then.

Edit: my Spanish teacher (medical spanish) told me hay que is often used as a command and not just as "somebody ought to" like I originally learned, but a softened command that holds little weight. Hay que limpiarlo. You should clean it, not just someone should.

i think debes de means must. like debes de estar orgulloso. you must be proud. can it mean should too? - michellech, Oct 8, 2011

Answer 6

Tenías que has the same meaning as deberías.... you should.

Being a newbie, I would think it would mean "You had to", like "tuviste que". - Tosh, Oct 8, 2011

Yeah I would have thought, you had to but in a more, permanent state like you had to help your grandma when you were younger, didn't know it could be like debe de or deberia. But it does seem to be should here. - jeezzle, Oct 8, 2011

But tuviste que is perfect past, tenías que is imperfect. You're not helping me, but you should be, this is an ongoing thing until you start helping me. - Jack-OBrien, Oct 8, 2011

That would be right jeezzle, but 'estar ayudándome' kicks it into the present, in my mind anyway. - Jack-OBrien, Oct 8, 2011