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

Question

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

Accepted 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!