Perfect Modal Phrase Use
must have certainty/high probability They must have gone out.
must not have (certeza/alta probabilidad)
might have/might not have possibility
may have/may not have (posibilidad)
could have
can’t have/couldn’t have impossibility
(imposibilidad)
could have/would have unrealized possibility
(posibilidad no realizada)
should have/ought to have unrealized duty
(deber no realizada)
shouldn’t have criticism of something
ought not to have done wrong
(una crítica sobre algo mal
hecho)
Example
Ellos harán salido.
They mustn’t have left yet.
Ellos aún no harán salido.
They may have gone out.
They might have gone out.
The could have gone out.
Es posible que hayan salido.
They can’t have gone out.
They couldn’t have gone out.
Es imposible que hayan salido.
You could have called me.
Podías haberme llamado.
(podías, pero no lo hiciste)
If I had known he was ill, I
would have come.
Si yo hubiera sabido que él
estaba enfermo, habría
venido.
You should have helped.
You ought to have helped.
Debiste haber ayudado.
You shouldn’t have gone.
You ought not to
havegone.
No debías haber ido.