Past Possibilities
To express what "could have" or "would have" happened in the past, combine the conditional forms of geta or munu with hafa (have) and the supine (sagnbót) of your main verb.
Notice that you do not use the word að before hafa.
Could have (gæti hafa)
To say what could have happened, use the conditional forms of geta.
| Pronoun | Form of geta (conditional) |
|---|---|
| ég | gæti |
| þú | gætir |
| hann / hún / það | gæti |
| við | gætum |
| þið | gætuð |
| þau | gætu |
If you include an adverb like hugsanlega (possibly), place it directly after the conjugated verb, right before hafa.
| The complication could possibly have been less. | Flækjan gæti hugsanlega hafa verið minni. |
| You could have prevented the damage. | Þú gætir hafa komið í veg fyrir skaðann. |
Would have (myndi hafa)
To express what someone would have done, use the conditional forms of munu.
| Pronoun | Form of munu (conditional) |
|---|---|
| ég | myndi |
| þú | myndir |
| hann / hún / það | myndi |
| við | myndum |
| þið | mynduð |
| þau | myndu |
The sentence structure remains the same: conditional verb + hafa + supine.
| I would have warned you, but I was not home. | Ég myndi hafa varað þig við, en ég var ekki heima. |
| A careful person would have walked past. | Varkár maður myndi hafa labbað framhjá. |
Expanding Your Scenarios
You can easily weave other adverbs, such as vissulega (certainly), into these phrases. Just tuck them between the conditional verb and hafa.
| I certainly would have regretted the awkward conversation. | Ég myndi vissulega hafa séð eftir vandræðalega samtalinu. |
Once you are comfortable with both structures, you can combine them to contrast missed opportunities with their imagined consequences.
| I could have warned you, but you would have regretted it. | Ég gæti hafa varað þig við, en þú myndir hafa séð eftir því. |