Rama Van Basten

Could merupakan salah satu Modals dalam Grammar Bahasa Inggris. Banyak sekali fungsi dan kegunaan kata ini. Apabila kata ini ditambahkan dengan kata lainnya, tentu akan mempunyai fungsi yang berbeda. Ikuti petunjuk di bawah ini untuk penjelasan yang lebih lengkap.

Gunakan 'could have' untuk membicarakan sesuatu yang sebenarnya mampu dikerjakan oleh seseorang, namun sayang tidak dilakukannya.

1. I could have gone to Oxford University but I preferred Harvard.
2. She could have married him but she didn't want to.
3. They could have bought a house here 20 years ago but chose not to.

Frase ini juga sering digunakan sebagai bentuk kritik.

1. You could have phoned me to let me know.
2. They could have helped me instead of just sitting there.
3. I could have done more to help you. Sorry.

Kita bisa memakai 'couldn't have' untuk menjelaskan suatu pekerjaan yang tidak sanggup untuk dikerjakan.

1. I couldn't have managed without you.
2. I couldn't have got the job. He was always going to appoint his nephew.
3. I couldn't have enjoyed myself more. Thank you for a lovely day.

Kita bisa menggunakan 'could have' untuk berspekulasi. (Bisa juga memakai 'may have' atau 'might have' dalam situasi seperti ini.)

1. She could have taken the earlier train.
2. Simon could have told her.
3. They could have overheard what we said.

Kita memakai 'can have' untuk berspekulasi tentang apa yang telah terjadi tetapi hanya dalam kalimat pertanyaan dan negatif. Ungkapan seperti ini biasanya dilengkapi dengan kata 'hardly', 'never' dan 'only'.

1. Can she have forgotten about our meeting?
2. He can't have seen us.
3. They can hardly have thought that I was not interested in the job.

Kita juga memakai 'could have' untuk berspekulasi tentang sesuatu yang tidak terjadi di masa lampau.

1. You could have broken your neck, jumping out the window like that.
2. He could have hurt somebody, throwing a bottle out of the window like that.
3. I could have done well in my exam if I'd worked harder.

Kita memakai 'could have' untuk menjelaskan keadaan sekarang yang tidak terjadi.

1. I could have been earning a lot as an accountant but the work was just too boring.
2. He could have been Prime Minister now but he got involved in a big financial scandal.
3. They could have been the market leaders now if they had taken his advice