student asking question

Will the meaning change if it was "must" instead of "should" here?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

It would change ever so slightly! "Must" would work really well here, actually. But there is a slight difference in nuance in this context! In this sentence, "must" would mean that you're certain or expecting the other person to be happy. "You <should> be happy with this" is, like, you've done enough work to be satisfied, so be pleased about it, and you may not think the other person is satisfied yet. Ex: You should be happy with the work you've done. You've worked hard. = You must be happy with the work you've done. You've worked hard.

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