Introduction
Introdução
Should have, could have, and would have are sometimes called “modals of lost opportunity” because they describe situations when we are imagining that the past was different.
Should have, could have, e would have às vezes são chamados de "modais de oportunidade perdida" porque descrevem situações em que estamos imaginando que o passado foi diferente.
Before we study those terms in the past, let’s review the difference between should, could, and would. The general rule is:
Antes de estudarmos esses termos no passado, vamos rever a diferença entre should, could e would. A regra geral é:
Should for recommendation / advice.
“If you want to lose weight, you should eat healthy food.”
Should para recomendação / conselho.
"Se você quer perder peso, deve comer alimentos saudáveis."
Could for possibilities.
“I have the day off tomorrow.”
“Great! We could spend the day at the beach. Or we could go shopping.”
Could para possibilidades.
"Eu tenho o dia de folga amanhã."
"Ótimo! Podemos passar o dia na praia. Ou podemos ir às compras."
Would for imagining results.
“If I were rich, I would buy a boat.”
Would para imaginar resultados.
"Se eu fosse rico, compraria um barco."
Could have + past participle
Poderia ter + particípio passado
- Could have + past participle means that something was possible in the past, or you had the ability to do something in the past, but that didn’t do it.
Could have + particípio passado significa que algo era possível no passado, ou que você tinha a capacidade de fazer algo no passado, mas isso não aconteceu.
- I could have stayed up late, but I decided to go to bed early.
Eu poderia ter ficado acordado até tarde, mas decidi ir para a cama cedo.
- They could have won the race, but they didn’t try hard enough.
Eles poderiam ter vencido a corrida, mas não se esforçaram o suficiente.
- Julie could have bought the book, but she borrowed it from the library instead.
Julie poderia ter comprado o livro, mas o pegou emprestado na biblioteca.
- He could have studied harder, but he was too lazy and that’s why he failed the exam.
Julie poderia ter comprado o livro, mas o pegou emprestado na biblioteca.