Breakdown of Elles auraient pu éviter le krach, mais elles ont préféré spéculer.
mais
but
elles
they (feminine)
avoir
to have
préférer
to prefer
pouvoir
to be able to / can
éviter
to avoid
le krach
the crash
spéculer
to speculate
Questions & Answers about Elles auraient pu éviter le krach, mais elles ont préféré spéculer.
How exactly does auraient pu éviter translate to "could have avoided"?
This uses the past conditional of the verb pouvoir (can / to be able to). You form it with the conditional of the auxiliary verb avoir (auraient) plus the past participle of pouvoir (pu). It is followed directly by the infinitive éviter. Together, it literally means "would have been able to avoid," which is how the French express "could have avoided" when pointing out a missed opportunity.
Why does the sentence switch from the past conditional (auraient pu) to the passé composé (ont préféré)?
The past conditional (auraient pu) is used for the hypothetical part: the missed opportunity to avoid the crash. The passé composé (ont préféré) is used for the second half because their preference to speculate is a factual event that actually happened. This contrast between "what could have been" and "what actually was" is a standard way to express regrets or reproaches.
Is krach a typo? Why isn't it spelled "crash"?
Why doesn't préféré have an à or de before the infinitive spéculer?
The verb préférer is a verb of preference, and these are followed directly by an infinitive without any connecting preposition like à or de. This rule stays exactly the same whether the verb is in the present tense or a past tense like the passé composé (ont préféré spéculer).
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