Would have: imagined consequences of something that did not happen

Imagined result of something that did not happen

Would have + V3 can show the result of an imagined change in the past. In this lesson, we look at situations where the condition was not fulfilled and the speaker explains what would have happened under a different condition.

Context often shows both the actual course of events and an imagined alternative. However, do not derive every fact by simply “reversing” it: an unfulfilled condition by itself does not prove that the result did not occur by some other means.

Would signals that the speaker sees the result as a natural consequence of the condition. If they merely consider the result possible, could or might is more natural, while reproach is expressed by should; these meanings belong to neighboring topic rules and are mentioned here only as boundaries.

How to build it

subject + would have + past participle (V3)

subject / S: The grammatical subject: who or what the clause is about; the verb agrees with it. In The book was written, the book is the subject, although someone else does the action.
V3 / past participle: The third verb form: worked, gone, seen. Used after have/has or in the passive, for example; it is not always the same as V2.

If Pavlo had reached the bank before noon, he would have signed the lease that day.

We imagine the signing under the condition of arriving early. The sentence does not imply that Pavlo could not have signed the lease later or by some other means.

My grandmother would have adored this garden.

There is no stated condition, but it is clear that my grandmother was not there.

We would have noticed the leak sooner if the cellar had had a window.

The condition comes at the end and still has had + V3.

Form: would, have, and the past participle

After would, have always follows, regardless of the subject: I, she, they would have. The past participle then follows: for regular verbs, it ends in -ed, while irregular verbs have their own forms (known, taken, been, chosen). The past-tense form does not work here: not would have knew, but would have known.

Negatives are formed with wouldn't have or would not have: wouldn't have finished. In a question, would moves to the beginning: Would the committee have approved it? A short answer repeats the auxiliary: Yes, it would.

In speech, would have sounds like would've, and this is where the spelling error would of comes from. The contraction would've is correct; would of is not. Normal conversation also allows wouldn't've, but in writing people usually write wouldn't have.

How to build it

would have + V3 | wouldn't have + V3 | Would + subject + have + V3?

subject / S: The grammatical subject: who or what the clause is about; the verb agrees with it. In The book was written, the book is the subject, although someone else does the action.
V3 / past participle: The third verb form: worked, gone, seen. Used after have/has or in the passive, for example; it is not always the same as V2.

The builders wouldn't have finished the roof by October.

Negative: not comes after would.

Would the committee have approved the budget without those figures?

In a question, would comes before the subject.

I would've phoned, but the signal was gone.

The contracted form is would've: never would of.

Condition with if: had + the past participle

If the imagined condition concerns a completed past situation, use if + had/hadn’t + V3, and for the corresponding past result, use would/wouldn’t have + V3. This is the basic third conditional pattern.

The order of the two halves is flexible. If the condition comes first, put a comma after it; if it comes at the end, there is usually no comma. The meaning does not change: If the bridge hadn't collapsed, the villagers would have reached the market in an hour or The villagers would have reached the market in an hour if the bridge hadn't collapsed.

In everyday speech, especially American speech, you may hear “If I would have known…”. In standard English and in writing, form the condition with had + V3 and reserve would for the result. The exercises in this lesson test the standard form.

How to build it

If + subject + had (hadn't) + V3, subject + would (wouldn't) have + V3

subject / S: The grammatical subject: who or what the clause is about; the verb agrees with it. In The book was written, the book is the subject, although someone else does the action.
V3 / past participle: The third verb form: worked, gone, seen. Used after have/has or in the passive, for example; it is not always the same as V2.

If the bridge hadn't collapsed, the villagers would have reached the market in an hour.

A negative condition leads to a positive result.

The villagers would have reached the market in an hour if the bridge hadn't collapsed.

The same idea with the condition at the end, without a comma.

Condition without if

A condition is often expressed without if. Without + a noun means “if it had not been for”: Without a torch, we would have missed the turning. But for works in the same way and sounds slightly more formal. Otherwise sums up a fact just mentioned: “if that had not been the case.”

An implicit condition can also be understood from context: I would have replied sooner, but your message ended up in my spam folder. The part after but names the reason the condition was absent, while the imagined result comes before it.

After without/but for, a noun phrase often follows: Without your help. The ordinary form Without you helped does not work; an appropriate -ing construction or but for the fact that + a clause are also possible. The full condition can be expressed with if.

How to build it

Without / But for + noun, would have + V3 | fact; otherwise, would have + V3

V3 / past participle: The third verb form: worked, gone, seen. Used after have/has or in the passive, for example; it is not always the same as V2.
noun: A word naming a person, thing or idea: student, book, happiness.

Without a torch, we would have missed the turning.

Without + a noun replaces the condition.

But for the interpreter, the meeting would have collapsed.

But for means “if it had not been for.”

I took a coat; otherwise I would have frozen.

Otherwise restates the fact in conditional form.

I would have replied sooner, but your message ended up in my spam folder.

The condition is hidden in the part after but.

Imagined reaction and evaluation

Would have + V3 often describes how someone would have reacted to an event that did not happen: She would have loved the pasta. The sentence may have no stated condition because the listener understands that the person was not there.

This construction can be used to evaluate a past situation, express regret or gratitude, or guess at someone else's feelings: He would have been thrilled, They would have understood. The adjective or past-participle verb expresses the reaction itself, not a fact.

Do not confuse this with another meaning of would have, in which the speaker makes an inference about a past fact (“That would have been 1980”). Here we are talking only about imagined results.

She would have loved the pasta.

The reaction of a person who was not at the table.

The neighbours would have understood if we had explained.

An imagined reaction and an unfulfilled condition together.

Would have or neighboring constructions

Would have answers the question “what would have happened?”. Should have expresses reproach or regret (“it was necessary to”), while could have and might have refer to an unrealized possibility (“was able to,” “perhaps”). All three have the same form, modal + have + V3, but different meanings.

In our examples, would have names an imagined past result, while the Past Simple reports facts. In a mixed conditional, a present characteristic can also explain an imagined past result: If I knew French, I would have translated it yesterday.

Before choosing, identify the intended function: reporting a fact, evaluation, possibility, or imagined result. Would have has other uses too, but here we are practicing only the last one.

Dmitri could have told us, he should have told us, and he would have told us if we had asked.

Three different meanings with the same form.

If I had the time, I would help you with the move.

This is the second conditional about the present: without have.

Where you hear it in speech

Would have + V3 is useful when we explain why something did not happen, thank someone for help that saved us from a problem, or apologize. It is a way to show the consequences of a choice without assigning blame: Thanks for the lift — I would have missed my flight otherwise.

In a narrative, it usually alternates with the Past Simple: first the fact, then the imagined alternative. Not every sentence needs to contain would have, because it is needed only where the narrative shifts into imagination.

Thanks for the lift — I would have missed my flight otherwise.

Thanks expressed through a consequence that was avoided.

Our manager would have signed the order if she had seen it earlier.

An explanation of why the matter did not move forward.

Common mistakes

Incorrect:If I had seen the warning sign, I would of turned back.

Correct:If I had seen the warning sign, I would have turned back.

Would of is a spelling error based on the pronunciation of would've; after would, we always write have.

Incorrect:I would had called you, but my phone died.

Correct:I would have called you, but my phone died.

After would comes have, not had; had appears here only in the condition.

Incorrect:If the flight hadn’t been delayed, we would had arrived in Rome by noon.

Correct:If the flight hadn’t been delayed, we would have arrived in Rome by noon.

After would, have is required, not had. In this example, both the condition and the result concern the past.

Incorrect:Without that phone call, we wouldn't realised the mistake.

Correct:Without that phone call, we wouldn't have realised the mistake.

After wouldn't, have is required, followed by the past participle.

Incorrect:Would Nadia have went along if we had asked her?

Correct:Would Nadia have gone along if we had asked her?

After have comes the past participle gone, not the past-tense form went.

Incorrect:Would you have accepted the offer if they had pay more?

Correct:Would you have accepted the offer if they had paid more?

In the Past Perfect, the past participle paid is required after had. If the condition concerns another time, a mixed construction is possible; would have itself does not force every condition to use the Past Perfect.

Sources