debería haber
/debeɾia abeɾ/from spelling rules
In Spanish, debería haber means "should have".
The phrase is used to describe an action that was desirable in the past but did not happen.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of debería (should) and haber (to have/to be) in the auxiliary sense.
Which one should you use?
While debería haber is a standard way to express this, you may also see debí haber. Using the preterite debí haber instead of the conditional debería haber is a common way to express a completed past obligation with a sense of certainty or regret.
How does it change in a sentence?
To complete the phrase, you must follow debería haber with a past participle (e.g., comido, hecho, ido).
How do you pronounce it?
/debeɾia abeɾ/
Did you know?
- The word haber is a distant relative of the English word 'have' as both trace back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to grab' or 'to take'.
- In Spanish, the word haber is used as an auxiliary verb in debería haber, but it also functions as a way to say 'there is' or 'there are'.
- Unlike English where 'have' serves two roles, Spanish splits these duties between haber for the helper role in debería haber and tener for possession.
Examples in context
- Debería haber dicho algo.I should have said something.Tatoeba #2065762 by marcelostockle, translation #2064790 by CK
- Debería haberme ido antes.I should have left earlier.Tatoeba #1328261 by Shishir, translation #30410 by CK
- Yo debería haberte escuchado.I should have listened to you.Tatoeba #5432504 by Seael, translation #4006576 by Hybrid
- Debería haber estudiado más para el examen.I should have studied more for the exam.
- Deberías haber llamado antes de venir.You should have called before coming.
- Ellos deberían haber llegado temprano.They should have arrived early.
- Deberías haber venido a la fiesta, fue genial.You should have come to the party, it was great.
- Deberías haber estudiado más para el examen, no te fue bien.You should have studied more for the exam, you didn't do well.
- Podrías haberme avisado que llegarías tarde.You should have let me know you would be late.
- Tendrías que haberme escuchado cuando te avisé.You should have listened to me when I warned you.
- Tendrías que haber empezado a estudiar antes.You should have started studying earlier.
- 58 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Elena are discussing a missed flight.
- MateoPerdimos el vuelo, Elena.We missed the flight, Elena.
- ElenaDebería haber salido más temprano.I should have left earlier.
- MateoTeníamos mucho tráfico en la calle.We had a lot of traffic on the street.
- ElenaAun así, debería haber tomado un taxi.Even so, I should have taken a taxi.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries haber, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
