could've

could've

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

English could

English -'ve

English could've

From could + -'ve.

Pronunciation

(US) IPA^(key): /ˈkʊdəv/, /ˈkʊdə/
Audio (US): (file)
Rhymes: -ʊdəv

Verb

could've

Contraction of could +‎ have.
We could've missed the bus, but we just caught it.

Synonyms

coulda

Translations

contraction — see also should've,‎ would've,‎ must've

Spanish: (followed by past participle): (él) pudo haber (preterit indicative), (él) podía haber (imperfect indicative), (él) podría haber (conditional indicative), (si (él)) pudiese/pudiera haber (past subjunctive); (followed by infinitive): (él) hubo podido (preterit perfect), (él) había podido (imperfect perfect), (él) habría podido (conditional perfect), (si (él)) hubiese/hubiera podido (past perfect subjunctive, can be sentence ending); (si (él)) pudiese/pudiera (sentence ending)