why have they used "müssen" instead of "sollen" here?

Question

I've read through this post on the differences between müssen and sollen: Difference between “sollen” and “müssen”

I was trying to decide how to say "you should have told him" (e.g. that jumping off a cliff was dangerous) but I'm confused about the difference between the following two sentences.

I had thought the translation would be:

Das hättest du ihm sagen sollen.

however the answer (in the exercise book) was:

Das hättest du ihm sagen müssen.

What is the difference between the two sentences?

None of your examples is wrong for the translation. But I think it is a duplicate and well explained in the thread you reference. — Dirk, Aug 28 '15 at 19:16

score 6 · Accepted Answer · edited Aug 28 '15 at 07:45

6

Sollen, in your sentence 1, is more a recommendation; meaning it would have been your duty to tell him so.

Müssen, in sentence 2, would express absolute necessity. And in the given situation I would always use müssen. It is much stronger.

edited Aug 28 '15 at 07:45

Em1

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answered Aug 28 '15 at 07:18

rogermue

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why have they used "müssen" instead of "sollen" here?

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