てしかるべきだ

てしかるべきだ says something ought to happen because it is only right: "should", "it would only be proper to ~". It follows a verb's て-form, often a passive, and judges what others – a government, a company, society – ought to do.

The verb is in the て-form: ×説明するしかるべきだ. しかるべき is an old verb meaning "be so" plus べき, and it is also written しかる然るべき.

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It belongs to editorials, speeches and formal writing, and in the written style it ends in である. In conversation the everyday equivalents are べきだ and てとうぜん当然だ.

In the past, てしかるべきだった criticises what should have happened and didn't.

しかるべき before a noun

Without the て-form, しかるべき goes before a noun and means "proper", "appropriate". This is how you meet it most in business and official notices.