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Originally Posted by nickdisipio
Hi, I am very confused about something... I have studied spanish for a while now and I dont understand how to say "should have" as in "I should have brought the keys" The native speakers say "yo hubiera traido las llaves" but it doesnt make sense to me, because "hubiera" means "I would have" along with "habria" whats the difference between "hubiera" and "habria" and how do you know how to seperate the two? For example "I wouldn't have been late but there was traffic" how would you tranlate that..
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hi, nickdisipio
the two verb forms you ask about are REALLY a problem for many Spanish speakers... so don't feel bad. the difference may be explained with a conditional sentence of the "impossible" type (something that cannot be changed because it already took place), and the different position each form takes:
e.g.:
If I
had known you were not home, I
would have brought the keys" (to use your words)
= Si
hubiera sabido que no estabas en casa (the condition),
habría traído las llaves (the action taken in consequence)
But I repeat, it's a common mistake for many Spanish speakers to use "hubiera" (subjuntivo) both in the condition-clause and in the consequence-clause...
hope I helped!
laura (a fan of Grammar!!!)
