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In Spanish, to express that someone "would have [done something]" in the past, we use the auxiliary verb haber.
Haber [ìn the conditional simple] + participle of main verb
Have a look and listen to the following examples:
While in English there is the extra word would, in Spanish we do not have an extra word, we just conjugate the auxiliary verb haber in the conditional, to mean "would have".
Also remember that compound verbs cannot be split by other words, such as pronouns, or adverbs like no.
These are incorrect:
- ¿Qué habrías tú hecho en mi lugar?
- Él habría no te querido tanto como yo.
These are correct:
- ¿Qué habrías hecho tú en mi lugar?
- Él no te habría querido tanto como yo.
Note on hubiera/hubiese
In conditional sentences, sometimes haber in the conditional form (habría, habrías...) can be replaced by haber in the imperfect subjunctive form (hubiera/hubiese, hubieras/hubieses...). However habría cannot replace hubiera/hubiese in phrases that trigger the subjunctive. Here are some common examples:
Si hubieses llegado antes te hubiera llevado en mi coche.
Si hubieses llegado antes te habría llevado en mi coche.
If you had arrived earlier I would have given you a lift.
A Antonio le hubiera gustado estudiar medicina.
A Antonio le habría gustado estudiar medicina.
Antonio would have liked to study medicine.
BUT
Structures that require the subjunctive must use the subjunctive and not the conditional. For example, verbs that express emotion trigger the subjunctive:
Me alegró mucho que te hubieran/hubiesen seleccionado para ese papel.
Me alegró mucho que te habrían seleccionado para ese papel.
It made me really happy that they had selected you for that role.
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