Take the fastest path to fluent Spanish
Learn how to say "should have [participle]" in Spanish
To express that someone should have done [something] in Spanish we use deber in El Condicional Simple followed by El Infinitivo Compuesto:
| yo | debería | |
| tú / usted |
deberías | |
| él | debería | + haber + past participle |
| nosotros / nosotras |
deberíamos | |
| vosotros / vosotras |
deberíais | |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes |
deberían |
Note that El Infinitivo Compuesto is formed by the infinitive of haber plus the past participle of the main verb.
Just like in English, this structure is used to express some sort of advice or regret related to a past action. Read this short dialogue:
-¡Ayer rompí con Jaime! Y ahora me estoy arrepintiendo...
-Vaya, deberías haber pensado un poco más en las consecuencias.
-I broke up with Jaime yesterday! And I am regretting it now...
-Oh, you should have thought a bit more about the consequences.
Note that El Infinitivo Compuesto is often combined with modal verbs (for example deber, tener que, poder)
See also: How to say "must have [done something] in Spanish with the verb deber and Irregular past participles in Spanish
Want to make sure your Spanish sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »
