Before anyone answers I think I can see it now. Is it the use of 'pouvoir' that makes the translation 'could' while 'avoir' gives more the sense of 'should'?
Look at these examples of devoir in the Conditionnel passé:
Conjugating devoir in Le Conditionnel Passé is easy:
Conditionnel of avoir + dû (past participle of devoir) + infinitive
Notice the difference between the English and French:
- in English you use the past participle form of the verb (locked, listened, eaten)
- in French we use the Conditionnel passé of devoir + the verb infinitive (fermer, écouter, manger)
Compare this with:
Conjugate pouvoir in Le Conditionnel Passé = could have (past conditional)
See other lessons on Le Conditionnel Passé:
Conjugate regular -er, -ir, -dre verbs (+ avoir) in Le Conditionnel Passé (past conditional)
Conjugate verbs (+ être) in Le Conditionnel Passé (past conditional)
Conjugate verbs with irregular past participles in Le Conditionnel Passé (past conditional)
See other lessons on Le Conditionnel Passé:
Conjugate regular -er, -ir, -dre verbs (+ avoir) in Le Conditionnel Passé (past conditional)
Conjugate verbs (+ être) in Le Conditionnel Passé (past conditional)
Conjugate verbs with irregular past participles in Le Conditionnel Passé (past conditional)
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
J'aurais dû manger plus tôt.
I should have eaten earlier.
Nous n'aurions pas dû l'écouter.
We shouldn't have listened to him.
Ils auraient dû prendre le bus à la place.
They should have taken the bus instead.
Tu aurais dû fermer la porte à clé.
You should have locked the door.
Vous auriez dû la prévenir.
You should have warned her.
Elle aurait dû freiner plus tôt.
She should have braked earlier.
Q&A Forum 12 questions, 35 answers
John asked:View original
Possible mistake
Before anyone answers I think I can see it now. Is it the use of 'pouvoir' that makes the translation 'could' while 'avoir' gives more the sense of 'should'?
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JohnKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Should v Could
Paul should have left earlier is given as 'Paul aurait du partir plus tot'.
I could have learnt to swim is given as 'J'aurais pu apprendre a nager'
These are exactly the same constructions, therefore they can not both be correct.
(Apologies for the absence of diacritic marks)
Asked 1 week ago
Hi John,
In French, you will use the verb 'devoir' to translate the idea of something you have to do.
Je dois partir plus tôt = I must leave earlier
Je devrais partir plus tôt = I should/ought to leave earlier
J'aurais dû partir plus tôt = I should have left earlier
In French, you will use the verb 'pouvoir' to convey the idea of something you are able to do.
Je peux apprendre à nager = I can learn to swim
Je pourrais apprendre à nager mais ...= I could learn to swim but ...
J'aurais pû apprendre à nager =I could have learnt to swim
The same verb in different tenses to convey different situations.
Hope this helps!
John asked:View original
Should v Could
Paul should have left earlier is given as 'Paul aurait du partir plus tot'.
I could have learnt to swim is given as 'J'aurais pu apprendre a nager'
These are exactly the same constructions, therefore they can not both be correct.
(Apologies for the absence of diacritic marks)
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MichaelKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Should have with “house” Verbs...
Nous aurions dû partir plus tôt.
This phrase came up in a test where I had to fill in the “should have” segment with “partir” ...should have left.
I hesitated because I was thinking “partir is a House/être verb.
Please instruct why être verb rules don’t apply in the case.
Asked 8 months ago
Because partir is not really relevant here, it's the conditionnel passé of devoir, which is not a "house" verb, and so always uses avoir. It doesn't matter what kind of verb comes afterwards.
Michael asked:View original
Should have with “house” Verbs...
Nous aurions dû partir plus tôt.
This phrase came up in a test where I had to fill in the “should have” segment with “partir” ...should have left.
I hesitated because I was thinking “partir is a House/être verb.
Please instruct why être verb rules don’t apply in the case.
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Candy Kwiziq community member
Do these phrases have the same meaning? « je devrais allé » & « j’aurais du allé have the same meaning?
Asked 10 months ago
Hi Candy,
Je devrais aller = I should/ought to go ( conditional present)
J’aurais dû aller = I should have/ ought to have gone ( conditional past)
Hi Candy,
Never !
The verb 'devoir' in the conditional is always followed by a verb in the infinitive .....
Nous devrions parler .... Je devrais prendre ...., Ils devraient revenir ...etc
Candy Kwiziq community member
But does « je devrais allé ‘ (using past participle of aller) mean the same thing as « j’aurais dû aller » ?
CécileKwiziq team member
Hi Candy,
Not at all!
Just as in English...
Je devrais aller = I should go , is describing an action in the future which could still happen.
J'aurais dû aller = I should have gone , is describing an action in the past which ought to have happened but didn't and it's too late.
Hope this helps!
Alan Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Hi Cécile,
Candy is specifically asking about "je devrais allé". I know this just seems like a spelling error, and probably it is, but if you google this (and similar constructions like "je devrais acheté") you get a surprising number of results. Actually there are more results for "je devrais allé" (162) than for "je devrais aller" (61). (By the way, when doing a search like this on Google, the initial number of results is not correct, it's always too large. To get the correct number you need to page through the results until you get to the last one.)
Do you think this is a common spelling error in French, or is there some other reason?
Candy Kwiziq community member
Thank you, Alan! Nope, it’s not a spelling error. I just need a native speaker to tell me if “ je devrais allé” is ever acceptable because some online translation tools say yes.
Candy
Alan Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Hi Candy, I didn't mean that you had made a spelling error - obviously this is what you intended - but the hits on Google look like errors to me. (But maybe it's some dialect thing?)
It's true that Google Translate, for example, will translate "Je devrais allé" as "I should have gone", but it will always attempt to give an answer, even if the input is incorrect. If you do the translation in the opposite direction it gives "j'aurais dû aller" instead.
Have you seen examples of "je devrais allé" in print? Or have you heard people saying this?
Candy Kwiziq community member
I have heard someone say it, but it was not a native speaker. So I looked it up online and thought, hmmm, maybe ? Thank you very much for your help and thank you Cécile !
CécileKwiziq team member
Maybe the confusion also comes from the fact that ‘allé ‘ and ‘aller’ sound the same?
Beware of Google translate as I often see errors on there...
CécileKwiziq team member
Maybe the confusion also comes from the fact that ‘allé ‘ and ‘aller’ sound the same?
Candy asked:View original
Do these phrases have the same meaning? « je devrais allé » & « j’aurais du allé have the same meaning?
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CrystalMaidenKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
So French doesn't have " should have, " it has " I've had to + verb. "
Maybe this should be mentioned in the lesson, because once you read the French sentences as " I've had to " etc, it makes it a lot easier.
Asked 1 year ago
AurélieKwiziq team member
Actually in French, it's "I would have had to + verb" = j'aurais dû + verbe
CrystalMaiden asked:View original
So French doesn't have " should have, " it has " I've had to + verb. "
Maybe this should be mentioned in the lesson, because once you read the French sentences as " I've had to " etc, it makes it a lot easier.
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PaulaKwiziq community member
devoir imparfait
So if we use the conditionnel passé to translate 'should have' how do we use devoir in the imparfait?
Asked 1 year ago
Bonjour Paula!
I think I understand what you're asking here.
The verb devoir in L'Imparfait will usually be translated as "I had to" or "I was supposed to", as such:
À bientôt !
I think I understand what you're asking here.
The verb devoir in L'Imparfait will usually be translated as "I had to" or "I was supposed to", as such:
Je devais l'appeler, mais je n'ai pas eu le temps.
I was supposed to call him, but I didn't have time.
Il devait absolument le faire ce jour-là.
He absolutely had to do it that day.
I hope that's helpful!I was supposed to call him, but I didn't have time.
Il devait absolument le faire ce jour-là.
He absolutely had to do it that day.
À bientôt !
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Hi Paula,
"devoir" in the imparfait? Et voilà:
je devais,
tu devais,
il/elle/on devait,
nous devions,
vous deviez,
ils/elles devaient.
And since I am not entirely clear on what you mean by "how to we use devoir in the imparfait", here is an example:
I must clean my room. -- Je dois ranger ma chambre. (present tense)
I should clean my room. -- Je devrais ranger ma chambre. (conditionel présent)
I should have cleaned my room. -- J'aurais dû ranger ma chambre. (conditionel passé)
If that doesn't address your actual question, could you rephrase it again, please, because I am not sure I quite understand what you are asking.
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
Thomas Kwiziq community member
Hi Aurélie,
The other day I found myself trying to say (verbally), by starting off 'Je devrais..', e.g. "I should do..", and stalling, having wanted to turn it into "I should have done" - I was probably doing along the lines of what the 6 May 2018 poster was thinking ('I must have had to..' rather than 'I would have had..').I think this lesson and your above response explains it.
To get the stupid question out of the way, there's no way 'Je devrais avoir eu' makes any sense, is there? (I'm guessing I was trying to construct the conditional past by combining conditional present and pluperfect).
Thanks!
Tom
AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour Tom !
This is definitely not the colloquial way to express Le Conditionnel Passé in French :)
Paula asked:View original
devoir imparfait
So if we use the conditionnel passé to translate 'should have' how do we use devoir in the imparfait?
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MKwiziq community member
CP VS le subjonctif?
Hey! I was wondering if one could sometimes replace the conditionnel passé with the subjonctif, and vice versa. This because the CP also technically deals with "judged" (you should have done x" situations?
Asked 2 years ago
LauraKwiziq team member
Bonjour M -
No. The subjunctive is required after certain verbs, conjunctions, and expressions. It's never interchangeable with the conditionnel passé.
M asked:View original
CP VS le subjonctif?
Hey! I was wondering if one could sometimes replace the conditionnel passé with the subjonctif, and vice versa. This because the CP also technically deals with "judged" (you should have done x" situations?
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Neil Kwiziq community member
How do you say must have
As in that must have been terrible for you
Asked 2 years ago
Ron Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
One way to say «must have» is «il doit avoir». there are other constructions, however.
Ron Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
In fact, here is another construction «Cela a dû être terrible pour vous»
AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour Neil !
To express "must have + past participle" as in "must have done"..., you will use Le Passé Composé of "devoir" = "a dû + infinitive"
"Ça a dû coûter cher." (It must have cost a lot)
"Il a dû se sentir mal à l'aise. (He must have felt uneasy.)
See:
Conjugate voir, devoir, pouvoir, boire, croire, savoir, lire, taire (+ avoir) in Le Passé Composé (conversational past)
I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt !
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MeghnaKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Vous_____ me le dire
In the test for the above, the translation reads as 'You shouldn't have told me'. Shouldn't the translation have been ' You shouldn't have told me that'? I am trying to see where the 'le' fits in the translation given.
Asked 2 years ago
AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour Meghna !
Here it's about colloquialism in both languages.
You are correct that the "le" in French means "it/that" here, but in English you tend not to express it, whereas in French it's always necessary to add it:
I'm glad you told me [it].
Je suis contente que tu me *l'*ai dit.
I'll add [it] to the question to remove any ambiguity :)
I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt !
Meghna asked:View original
Vous_____ me le dire
In the test for the above, the translation reads as 'You shouldn't have told me'. Shouldn't the translation have been ' You shouldn't have told me that'? I am trying to see where the 'le' fits in the translation given.
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OlegKwiziq community member
Two possible conjugations in Le Conditionnel Passé?
Hello,
when I look into the conjugation tables (from Le Figaro web page)
I see two possible conjugations patterns
for Le Conditionnel Passé
the one I used to
j'aurais dû
tu aurais dû
il aurait dû
nous aurions dû
vous auriez dû
ils auraient dû
And this one
j'eusse dû
tu eusses dû
il eût dû
nous eussions dû
vous eussiez dû
ils eussent dû
Are this forms equivalent?
Regards,
Oleh
Asked 2 years ago
AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour Oleg !
No, they're not interchangeable, as the second form is used only in very formal writing, and is extremely rare nowadays.
I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt !
Oleg asked:View original
Two possible conjugations in Le Conditionnel Passé?
Hello,
when I look into the conjugation tables (from Le Figaro web page)
I see two possible conjugations patterns
for Le Conditionnel Passé
the one I used to
j'aurais dû
tu aurais dû
il aurait dû
nous aurions dû
vous auriez dû
ils auraient dû
And this one
j'eusse dû
tu eusses dû
il eût dû
nous eussions dû
vous eussiez dû
ils eussent dû
Are this forms equivalent?
Regards,
Oleh
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JenniferKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Must have
What if you wannt to say. Someone must have done something, how would you say that? For example. Where is she? She must have gone to the shops. Like Kevin also like this lesson. Merci bien
Asked 2 years ago
AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour Jennifer, et merci du compliment !
To express "must have", you will conjugate the verb "devoir" in Le Passé Composé followed by your verb's infinitive:
"Elle a dû aller faire les courses." (She must have gone to the shops.)
"J'ai dû me tromper." (I must have made a mistake.)
Here's a link to Le Passé Composé of "devoir":
Conjugate voir, devoir, pouvoir, boire, croire, savoir, lire, taire (+ avoir) in Le Passé Composé (conversational past)
I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt !
JenniferKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Ought to have,
Mercii Aurélie.
Would you also help me out with ought to? what would we say for example for he/ought/should have done their homework. I ask this because I now realise that the difference between ought, should and must have are becoming difficult for me to destinguish.
Thank you once again
AurélieKwiziq team member
"Ought to" and "should" will both be translated in the same way in French, as they mean the same:
with "devoir" in Le Conditionnel.
:)
Jennifer asked:View original
Must have
What if you wannt to say. Someone must have done something, how would you say that? For example. Where is she? She must have gone to the shops. Like Kevin also like this lesson. Merci bien
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KevinKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Great lesson--thank you. Don't know how I missed knowing this!
Asked 3 years ago
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