He would have COME / He would have TOLD

Question

Hi,I have a doubt. Why is present tense(COME) used in 1st sentence and why past(TOLD) in 2nd sentence?I mean its never writen "he would have came", yet its true that "he would have TOLD(not tell)"??-Thanks.

Yoong Liat · Accepted Answer

Eng.noobHi,

I have a doubt. Why is present tense(COME) used in 1st sentence and why past(TOLD) in 2nd sentence?
I mean its never writen "he would have came", yet its true that "he would have TOLD(not tell)"??

We say He would have come because 'come' is a past participle, not a simple past tense verb. The verb after 'have' should be be a past participle. [come, came, come (past participle)]

Similarly, we say He would have told. The verb after 'have' should be a past participle. [tell, told, told (past participle)]

I hope my explanation is clear enough.

Philip · Answer

Eng.noobHi,

I have a doubt. Why is present tense(COME) used in 1st sentence and why past(TOLD) in 2nd sentence?
I mean its never writen "he would have came", yet its true that "he would have TOLD(not tell)"??

-Thanks.

Two of the past forms in English are the simple past (sometimes irregular, of course) and the present perfect, which uses the present of have/has plus the past participle of the verb. The past participle is sometimes the same as the simple past, so it may be comfusing.

I would have come / I would have eaten / I would have played (came, ate, played = simple past forms).

Kooyeen · Answer

Hi,
look up a verb in the dictionary. You get base form // past // past participle

go ---> go / went / gone
eat --> eat / ate / eaten
walk -> walk / walked / walked (this is a regular verb, you just have to add -ed at the end)

You use the past for the simple past, for example.
Yesterday I went to Chicago.

You use the past participle in the present and past perfect, and other structures like the ones you are asking about.
If I had had more time, I would have gone downtown.

Now look up "come". You'll get come /came / come. So you would have come.

He would have COME / He would have TOLD

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