Should / Shouldn't
'I have a really intense stomachache, I ______ (not eat) too much'
'I SHOULDN'T HAVE eaten too much'
'Kimberly is not speaking to Tom. He ______ (do) something terrible to her'
'He MUST HAVE done something terrible to her'
- 'Sharon hasn't worn the sweater I gave her. She _____ (not like) it'
- 'Nonsene. She's probably waiting for an special occasion'
(The prediction is SOMEWHAT possible)
'She MAY NOT have liked it'
'Tiffany complains a lot about studying Law as a major. She ______ (choose) Medicine, but she didn't'
'She COULD HAVE chosen'
In which cases or scenarios do we use Modals in the Past?
Depending of the modal, we can express a strong deduction (must have or can't have), a criticism of the past (should have), a probability, high or low (may have or might have) or as an ability to do something (could have)
'I can't believe I didn't pass the exam. It was so easy. I ______ (study) more'
'I SHOULD HAVE studied more'
- 'Look, John is driving a new car'
- 'But he didn't have any money. Actually he was broke'
- 'He ______ (win) the lottery or something'
'He MUST HAVE won the lottery or something'
- 'I tried talking to Jim but he didn't answer. He was kind of absent minded'
- 'He ______ (have) a bad day. You can ask him later'
(The prediction is A REMOTE possibility)
'He MIGHT HAVE had a bad day'
- 'Rob spoke really badly about Katherine in the party'
-'That ______ (be) Rob. He's actually Katherine's best friend'
'That CAN'T HAVE been'
What is the "interpretation" of the form "may have" in Spanish?
It is something like: "tal vez + verb in past"
Example: "Tom may have bought the tickets"
(Tom tal vez compró los boletos)
'Tiffany is furious with me. We had a big fight because I forgot her birthday. I _____ (write) it somewhere'
'I SHOULD HAVE written it somewhere'
- 'Have you seen John? He's walking in crutches'
- 'Yeah, I saw him. He ______ (have) an accident'
'He MUST HAVE had an accident'
- 'I'm upset. I didn't find any tickets for the concert'
- 'Did you ask Tom? He _____ (get) those.'
(The prediction is SOMEWHAT possible)
'He MAY HAVE got those'
- 'Everyone thought John was going to be appointed as new General Manager, but the company opted for Tina'
- 'Yeah, I heard. That came as a total suprise. No one ______ (anticipate) it'
'No one COULD HAVE anticipated it'
What is the "interpretation" of the form "might have" in Spanish?
It is something like: "quizá + verb in past"
Example: "Tina might have lost the bus"
(Tina quizá perdió el autobús)
'I need some money to buy some books but I used all my money in this video game. I ______ (not spend) all the money'
'I SHOULDN'T HAVE spent all the money'
- 'Poor Harry. I saw him packing all his things. His office is empty'
- 'He ______ (be) fired'
'He MUST HAVE been fired'
- 'Shawn is not in class and he's always the first one to arrive'
- 'He _____ (not hear) the alarm. Or he _____ (miss) the bus'
(The first prediction is A REMOTE possibility. The second one is SOMEWHAT possible)
'He MIGHT NOT HAVE heard the alarm. Or he MAY HAVE missed the bus'
- 'Didn't Grace say she was going to be at home? Because I just saw here in the concert at a distance'
- 'Well, that ______ (be) her. I just videocalled her and she is watching a movie at home'
'Well, that CAN'T HAVE been her'
What is the "interpretation" of the form "should have" in Spanish?
It is something like: "debió" as to criticise the past.
Example: "Henry should have studied more"
(Henry debió estudiar más)
'Oh no, the traffic is really heavy and I have an important meeting. I _____ (not sleep) those extra 5 minutes'
'I SHOULDN'T HAVE slept those extra 5 minutes'
- 'Did you see the ring Thomas gave to Anna?'
- 'It was magnificent. It _____ (cost) a fortune'
'It MUST HAVE cost a fortune'
- 'I said hello to Kimberly and she didn't answer back. Can you believe it?'
- 'That's strange. She's really polite. She _____ (not see) you'
(The prediction is SOMEWHAT possible)
'She MAY NOT HAVE seen you'
- 'Did you hear the news? The teacher said nobody had to take the midterm exam. He said everybody passed!'
- 'He ______ (say) that. He always applies the midterm test'
'He CAN'T HAVE said that'
What is the "interpretation" of the form "must have" in Spanish?
It is something like: "debió haber".
Example: "Kimberly must have lost my number"
(Kimberly debió haber perdido mi número)