# Would, should, could, could have, would have



## grandcanyonaz

I am confused on would, should, could as I have seen different ways of expressing this in Greek.

I'm trying to figure out when these should be used. From duolingo it says 5 and 6 have the same meaning.

1. Μπορούσα να ερθώ
2. θα μπορούσα να ερθώ
3. Πρέπει να ερθώ
4. Θα έπρεπε να ερθώ
5. Θα μπορούσα να έχω μαγειρέψει το φαγητό.
6. Θα μπορούσα να είχα μαγειρέψει το φαγητό.
7. Θα έπρεπε να έχω μαγειρέψει το φαγητό.

Thanks!


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## Vagabond

1. I could have come (possibility set in the past, for example: I could have come with you, had you asked me to. - you didn't ask, and I didn't come)
2. I could come (possibility set in the future, for example: If you don't want to go alone, I could come with you)
3. I must come / I have to come / should come (pretty straight forward)
4. I would have to come (possibility in the future: If she invited me to the wedding, I would have to come, or she would be offended)
OR: I should come (slightly different than No3, though, I guess it would show a bit of reluctance? As in, I'd rather stay at home, but I think I should come along - in the sense that it would be best if I came along)
4a. Θα έπρεπε να είχα έρθει: I should have come (set in the past - I should have come to the party last week, but I didn't, and the party is now over)
4b. Θα έπρεπε να έχω έρθει: I should have come by now (okay, a bit weird with that specific verb and pronoun  but the idea is we're talking about something that should have been completed *by now*, but is not - he should have been here by now, you should have finished your homework by now etc)
5. I could have made dinner (at some point before right now - I could have made dinner, but I was too lazy, so let's order pizza)
OR: I could make dinner / I could have dinner ready (possibility set at some point in the future, before another point in the future: I could have dinner ready before noon, so we can spend the rest of the day together)
6. I could have made dinner (at some point in the past, before another point in the past - I could have made dinner, but I was too lazy, so we ordered pizza)
7. I should have made dinner (at some point before now - I should have made dinner, but I've been too busy, sorry! Let's order pizza)

Generally, when you have «θα» in the primary sentence, check the tense of the secondary one, it's the one that will tell you which point in time we're talking about. If you see να έρθω, να μαγειρέψω etc, we're talking about something set in present or in the future. If you see να *είχα *έρθει, να *είχα *μαγειρέψει etc, it's all in the past. With να *έχω *έρθει, να *έχω *μαγειρέψει etc, a bit more complicated; it's not easy to come up with a rule, but it will either be something that should/could/would have happened by now, or something that should/could/would happen by a certain point in the future.

Now, as far as "would" is concerned; there is not a specific word that you could translate it into. It is generally converted into θα + παρατατικός (past continuous). It kind of makes sense if you think of it this way: "would" is the past form of "will"; so you take your future form (I will go) and turn it one click to the past (I would go). Similarly in Greek, you take the future form (θα πάω) one click into the past (θα πήγαινα).

I really hope I didn't confuse you more, though I think I confused myself somewhat, too  But we should wait for others to chime in as well.


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## uress

grandcanyonaz said:


> duolingo says 5 and 6 have the same meaning.


Actually not as you can see it already in Vagabond's great analysis but yes as in certain situations the difference is so slight between _by now_ and _in the past_ that you could say it's the same but not really.
And I wonder if that was really meant about 5. and 6. because what is actually often used by many people as they were the same is using θα μαγειρευα instead of θα ειχα μαγειρεψει, θα μπορουσα instead of θα ειχα μπορεσει for the past.


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## διαφορετικός

grandcanyonaz said:


> 1. Μπορούσα να ερθώ





Vagabond said:


> 1. I could have come (possibility set in the past


I wonder whether (as an analogy to the above example) it is possible to say the following, and what it would mean:

8. Έπρεπε να έρθω


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## uress

8. Έπρεπε να έρθω. = I had to come.

Maybe even: I needed to come.
? (I'm not sure about the usage of need here.)
Or: I couldn't help coming. ?

πρεπει = have to, must -> επρεπε = had to, "*musted" (if it would exist )

_9. Θα επρεπε να ρθω. ? _


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## διαφορετικός

Thanks, uress.

I am trying to distinguish
"Έπρεπε να έρθω" from "Θα έπρεπε να είχα έρθει"
and
"Μπορούσα να έρθω" from "Θα μπορούσα να είχα έρθει".
Well, I suppose that in the first cases (without "Θα"), the "coming" can have been realized, whereas in the second cases (with "Θα"), it has not been realized (the "coming" is purely hypothetical / imaginary). Is this assumption correct?


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## uress

"Έπρεπε να έρθω" Ich mußte kommen. .............................................................."Μπορούσα να έρθω" Ich konnte kommen.
"Θα έπρεπε να έρθω" Ich müßte/sollte kommen./Ich hätte kommen sollen/müssen. ...."Θα μπορούσα να έρθω". Ich könnte kommen./Ich hätte kommen können.
"Θα έπρεπε να είχα έρθει" Ich hätte kommen sollen/müssen. .................................."Θα μπορούσα να είχα έρθει" Ich hätte kommen können.


Wieso fragst du nicht nach "Θα έπρεπε να εχω έρθει" und "Θα μπορούσα να εχω έρθει"?


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## διαφορετικός

Thanks a lot, uress.



uress said:


> "Μπορούσα να έρθω" Ich konnte kommen.


From your German to my English: "I could come" (correct?)

This is different from what Vagabond wrote ("I could have come."), and I consider it a better translation.
It confused me because Vagabond made the same translation for 1. and 5. (only with a different verb, μαγειρεύω instead of έρχομαι). But the meaning is not the same.



uress said:


> Wieso fragst du nicht nach "Θα έπρεπε να εχω έρθει" und "Θα μπορούσα να εχω έρθει"?


I did not ask this because it seemed unnecessary to clear the confusion. From examples 5. and 6. the difference is already explained by Vagabond (for μαγειρεύω instead of έρχομαι).


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## uress

Ι ψοθλδ ψομε ςιτη τηε μεανινγ Ι ςασ αβλε το Yes, I could come with the meaning I was able to come (Ich war in der Lage...) and not I could come if...



grandcanyonaz said:


> 5. Θα μπορούσα να έχω μαγειρέψει το φαγητό.
> 6. Θα μπορούσα να είχα μαγειρέψει το φαγητό.
> 7. Θα έπρεπε να έχω μαγειρέψει το φαγητό.


Das kannst du auch so sehen:
5. Ich könnte das Essen fertig haben.
6. Ich hätte das Essen fertig haben können.
7. Ich müßte das Essen fertig haben.

(Im deutschen Forum gab es gerade eine Schwitzerdütsch-Frage: Bundesbern. Vielleicht kennst du das.)


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## διαφορετικός

OK, danke nochmals / thanks again, uress.


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## grandcanyonaz

Confused again. lol

There is a conjugation of θα + past cont?

Θα έβλεπα
Θα ήρθα

I know about
Θα ήθελα -> I would like

Also, 

Έχω να δουλέψω τώρα
Πρέπει να δουλέψω τώρα

Both mean I have to work now? Or only second one is used

In English we say I have to work today but in Greek they say I will have to work today? We could say this in English but we don't.

Θα έχω να δουλέψω σήμερα όχι Έχω να δουλέψω σήμερα
Θα πρέπει να δουλέψω σήμερα όχι Πρέπει να δουλέψω σήμερα


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## Perseas

grandcanyonaz said:


> Έχω να δουλέψω τώρα
> Πρέπει να δουλέψω τώρα
> 
> Both mean I have to work now? Or only second one is used


Both are used but "Πρέπει να" is more common.



grandcanyonaz said:


> In English we say I have to work today but in Greek they say I will have to work today? We could say this in English but we don't.
> 
> Θα έχω να δουλέψω σήμερα όχι Έχω να δουλέψω σήμερα



It depends on context.
-Τι έχεις να κάνεις σήμερα.
-Σήμερα έχω να δουλέψω πολύ. 
-Σήμερα θα έχω να έχω να δουλέψω πολύ. 

-Εάν δεν δουλέψω τώρα, έχω να δουλέψω πιο πολύ αργότερα. 
-Εάν δεν δουλέψω τώρα, θα έχω να δουλέψω πιο πολύ αργότερα. 




grandcanyonaz said:


> Θα πρέπει να δουλέψω σήμερα όχι Πρέπει να δουλέψω σήμερα


I don't agree. "Πρέπει να δουλέψω σήμερα" is better or maybe is the standard expression. On the other hand, "Θα πρέπει να δουλέψω σήμερα" sounds OK in my ears. Again the context plays an important role but in any case, "πρέπει να" and "θα πρέπει να" can be used interchangeably in many cases, what is not the case with "έχω να" and "θα έχω να".


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## uress

grandcanyonaz said:


> There is a conjugation of θα + past cont? Yes  Conditional: _I'd_ or _I would've_ if the past aspekt is not so terribly important.
> 
> Θα έβλεπα **
> Θα ήρθα* This is not continous! *(Θα* + *aorist also exists but this is another story )
> 
> I know about *Θα *ήθελ*α* -> I *would  *like


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