Portuguese 6.2. “Would/Could/Should Have …”

To convey the meaning of “would/could/should have …” in Portuguese, we resort to the conditional perfect tense.

“Would have” + past participle = “Ter” in conditional tense + past participle

Eu o teria feito.	I would have done it.
Eles teriam pago.	They would have paid.
Nós teríamos vindo.	We would have come.

“Could have” + past participle = “Poder” in conditional tense + “ter” + past participle

Eu o poderia ter feito.	I could have done it.
Eles poderiam ter pago.	They could have paid.
Nós poderíamos ter vindo.	We could have come.

“Should have” + past participle = “Dever” in conditional tense + “ter” + past participle

Eu o deveria ter feito.	I should have done it.
Eles deveriam ter pago.	They should have paid.
Nós deveríamos ter vindo.	We should have come.

Next: Pluperfect Indicative Tense

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