could have done

Question

0Later, in February 2004, Sanchez met with Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba to discuss his investigation into Abu Ghraib. It was then that Sanchez says he learned the abuses involved more than just a few soldiers acting out their aggressions against detainees:01blockquote02br12br10It was around this time that I first saw the abuse photographs contained on the CD, and they made me sick. I just couldn't understand how our young soldiers 11b10could have done12b10 such things to the prisoners.12br12br11a15010 12a12br12br10Is this Conditional 3? The abuses actually happened. I would rewrite it as "how our young soldiers 11b10did12b10 such things..." What do you think?12br12br10Thanks!12br12blockquote10 0230hrefhttp://blog.washingtonpost.com/inteldump/2008/05/a_few_bad_apples.html#more

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

0"Could have done" is fine. It doesn't function as a conditional here, it just emphasises the speaker's amazement that the soldiers behaved in such a way.0-

CalifJim · Answer

0 This is not a "Third Conditional". There's no 01i00if02i00 clause (or equivalent thereof).02br
01i00I couldn't understand how our soldiers did such things02i00 would be a request for information about the methods the soldiers used. It's saying, "Please explain how they did these things (because I was not able to understand how they did them)". That's not what the general is saying. 02br
01i00I couldn't understand how our soldiers 01u00could have done02u00 such things02i00 is entirely different. It expresses disbelief that our soldiers 01u00would have been capable of doing02u00 such things. 02br
00The counterfactual aspect of the situation that you may be looking for is this: They 01u00were02u00 capable of doing such things (as is obvious by the fact that they did them), but the general's disbelief in such a capability is, in fact, the belief that they 01u00were not02u00 capable of doing such things. 02br
00This is a typical phrase for expressing shocked disbelief and a mild reprimand.02br
01i00How could you have [kicked a helpless puppy / slapped that child in the face / cheated your own brother out of his inheritance / ...]? 02i02br
00CJ 0-

New2grammar · Answer

1i00How could you have [kicked a helpless puppy / slapped that child in the face / cheated your own brother out of his inheritance / ...]? 02i02br
02br
01i00CJ, thank you for the idiomatic expressions. I think I understand it now. I've been repeating this same mistake because could have always makes me think of conditional. For example, What could I have done to your son?02i02br
02br
01i00So I wonder when could have is a conditional and when it's a fact happened in the past.02i0-

could have done

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions