avait vs. aurait?

Question

I don't understand why this sentence could have is avait pu, where in no. 4 the answer is aurait pu, both meaning "could have"

Maarten Kamp · Answer

Kathryn,

it would help if you can find and add the 2 questions in full as this would allow a specific answer based on the context.

However, ‘ could (have) ‘ has different meanings in English - modal, conditional or past tense of the verb ‘ can ‘.

In French those different meanings are conveyed with different conjugations of pouvoir (usually) - in compound tenses that requires different forms of the auxiliary ‘ avoir ‘ preceding the past participle ‘ pu ‘.

The links below are helpful in understanding what the differences are, and how that impacts usage and translation :

https://englishlive.ef.com/en/blog/language-lab/use-should-would-could/

https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/pouvoir-lesson/

https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/compound-modal-verbs/

https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/modal-verbs/

https://www.lawlessfrench.com/verb-conjugations/pouvoir/