Guessing what had happened

The idea

Form it with conditional haber plus a past participle: habría salido. The event is earlier than the past reference point, and the speaker is uncertain.

Examples

• Cuando llegamos, Marta ya habría salido; su abrigo no estaba.When we arrived, Marta had probably already left; her coat was gone.
• El suelo estaba mojado: habría llovido durante la noche.The ground was wet: it had probably rained during the night.
• A las ocho, los vecinos ya habrían cerrado la tienda, porque estaba a oscuras.By eight, the neighbours had probably closed the shop, because it was dark.
• Cuando llamaste, yo habría dejado el móvil en la cocina; no lo oí.When you called, I had probably left my phone in the kitchen; I did not hear it.
• Al comenzar la película, Ana y Luis ya habrían encontrado sus asientos.When the film began, Ana and Luis had probably already found their seats.
• Ayer el panadero parecía cansado; habría trabajado desde muy temprano.Yesterday the baker seemed tired; he had probably been working since very early.

Watch out

Do not treat the form as proof: había salido states an earlier event, whereas habría salido can suggest a guess.

Try it yourself

1. Complete the conjecture. Cuando llegué, Elena ya ___ la carta. (escribir)

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   habría escrito

   Habría escrito suggests Elena had probably written the letter before the arrival.

2. Complete the conjecture. Al abrir el museo, ellos ya ___ las entradas. (comprar)

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   habrían comprado

   Habrían comprado agrees with the plural subject and places the purchase before opening.

3. Complete the conjecture. Al sonar el teléfono, nosotros ya ___ de casa. (habríamos salido / saldríamos)

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   habríamos salido

   Habríamos salido places our probable departure before the phone rang.

Use it today

Choose the form that fits each past clue.