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The verbal notion should is expressed in Russian by the short adjective дћлжен, which can be translated by English 'should, ought to, be supposed to'.
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Short adjectives are predicatives, i.e. they correspond to 'is/are'. The past tense is formed by adding the past forms of бІть after дћлжен:
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Онђ должнђ писђть мђтери.
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She should (ought to) write her mother.
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She's supposed to write her mother.
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Онђ должнђ былђ писђть мђтери.
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She should have written her mother.
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She was supposed to write her mother.
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МІ должнІ бћльше рабћтать.
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We should work harder (more).
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We're supposed to work harder.
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Note that with дћлжен the person involved is in the Nominative case, whereas with the o-form нђдо 'have to, must' the person involved is in the Dative case (as is normal with o-forms, e.g. Мнљ хћлодно 'I'm cold'):
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Љй нђдо писђть мђтери.
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She has to (must) write her mother.
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Нђм нђдо бћльше рабћтать.
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We have to (must) work harder (more).
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