was er tun sollte

what he should do

→ was
phrase Rare #32,535
what he should do Used in indirect questions and relative clauses. Depending on context, it can also mean “what he was supposed to do.”
GE: Ich weiß nicht, was er tun sollte.
EN: I don't know what he should do.

Tom tat alles, was er tun sollte.

Tom did everything he was supposed to do.

Ohne ihren Rat hätte er gestern nicht gewusst, was er tun sollte.

Without her advice, he wouldn’t have known what to do yesterday.

Wusste Tom nicht, was er tun sollte?

Didn't Tom know what to do?

Vielleicht weiß Tom nicht genau, was er tun sollte.

Maybe Tom isn’t exactly sure what he should do.

Tom wünschte sich, dass Mary ihm sagen würde, was er tun sollte.

Tom wished Mary would tell him what to do.

Tom fragte sich, was er tun sollte.

Tom wondered what he should do.

Tom war sich unsicher, was er tun sollte.

Tom wasn't sure what he should do.