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  • So basically French doesn't have " could have, " it has, " have been capable of. "

So basically French doesn't have " could have, " it has, " have been capable of. "

CrystalMaiden 7.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

So basically French doesn't have " could have, " it has, " have been capable of. "

With " pu " being the one translated to " been capable of. " I think this should be in the lesson, to make this easier to understand.
This question relates to:French lesson "Conjugate pouvoir in the conditional past in French = could have (Le Conditionnel Passé)"
Asked 6 years ago
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CécileNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hi CrystalMaiden,

Yes indeed there is no single word equivalent for 'could' in French.

You have to use the verbe 'pouvoir' in the conditional present to convey the concept of ,'could' and the conditional past for, 'could have'.

Nous pourrions réduire nos dépenses  = We could reduce our expenses

Vous auriez pu me prévenir= You could have warned me

In the same way 'should' will be conveyed by using the verbs  'devoir' and sometimes 'falloir'.

Hope this helps!

Like26 years ago
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CrystalMaiden 7. asked:

So basically French doesn't have " could have, " it has, " have been capable of. "

With " pu " being the one translated to " been capable of. " I think this should be in the lesson, to make this easier to understand.

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