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Perfect Stranger Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

Could or could have? Which of the two?

Dear Users,

Can anyone tell me whether we should use could or could have in the following sentence and most importantly... why?

I don't know what he...

a) could have meant
b) could mean

In my understanding, the first one refers to something the person said some time in the past. In case of the second one, it refers to something a person is saying now. Nonetheless, how distant does the past have to be to use the 1st one? Can it be something that was said 2min ago?

Thanks
  

Top answer

B is the 'universal present' of sorts—his meaning is omnipresent once it has been uttered—so it does not mean 'now'. You can use either to refer to something someone has said. Time itself is not of the essence, and we certainly cannot put time spans on such cases.

— Mister Micawber

  • B is the 'universal present' of sorts—his meaning is omnipresent once it has been uttered—so it does not mean 'now'.
  • You can use either to refer to something someone has said.
  • Time itself is not of the essence, and we certainly cannot put time spans on such cases.
  • If the fellow is still standing there, I would say 'could mean' and if he has left the room, I would say 'could have meant', I suppose.
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1 Answers
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B is the 'universal present' of sorts—his meaning is omnipresent once it has been uttered—so it does not mean 'now'. You can use either to refer to something someone has said. Time itself is not of the essence, and we certainly cannot put time spans on such cases. If the fellow is still standing there, I would say 'could mean' and if he has left the room, I would say 'could have meant', I suppo
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