CoCap
CoCap
Modals · CEFR B2 · Confident
A possibility in the past that was never taken. Could have is an unused ability; might have is an unproven possibility.
The shape
could have / would have / might have + third form
Talk about what was possible but never happened.
In Hindi
बीते समय की वह संभावना जो कभी हुई नहीं। could have यानी कर सकते थे, might have यानी शायद हुआ हो।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
I could have call you, but I forgot. | I could have called you, but I forgot. After "have" the verb takes its third form. |
These come first. The rest of this makes more sense once they are automatic.
Close enough to be mixed up with this one. Knowing the difference is most of knowing either.
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
could have / would have is a CEFR B2 structure — the confident band — and it belongs to modals. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
CoCap turns this page into practice: Hindi sentence in, English sentence out, corrected one thing at a time. Free, no card.
Practise the could have / would have →