would have
Hypothetical past action
Would have expresses a past possibility that didn't happen, often in hypotheticals: I would have called, but my phone died.
It conveys what was expected or planned but unrealized: She would have been thirty today.
In casual speech, contracted to would've, which is sometimes mistakenly written "would of."
- ought toExpresses moral obligation
- hypotheticalAssumed but unproven
- regretSorrow over past actions
- hindsightRecognition after the fact
- looking backRecalling what happened before
woulda coulda shoulda · second guessing · imagined · past · conditional · wishful · alternate · missed · chance · opportunity · if only · almost · nearly · supposed to · intended · planned · expected · wished