How to Say "should have" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “should have” is “debido” — use 'debido' when 'should have' implies an obligation that was not met, often forming part of a compound past tense..
debido
/deh-BEE-doh//deˈβi.ðo/
Examples
He debido llamarte antes.
I should have called you earlier.
Nunca has debido tanto dinero.
You have never owed so much money.
Partner for the Verb 'Haber'
This form of 'debido' teams up with the verb 'haber' (to have) to create verb tenses that look back on past obligations. For example, 'he debido' (I should have), 'habías debido' (you had owed).
hubiese
/oo-bee-AY-seh//uˈβjese/
Examples
Si lo hubiese sabido antes, no habríamos venido.
If I had known it sooner, we wouldn't have come.
Me alegré de que no hubiese ocurrido nada grave.
I was happy that nothing serious had happened.
Hubiese querido verte, pero no fue posible.
I would have liked to see you, but it wasn't possible. (Implies 'I wish I had been able to see you.')
A Past That Didn't Happen
"Hubiese" is the auxiliary verb used to create the Pluperfect Subjunctive (e.g., 'hubiese viajado'). This tense refers to past actions that are hypothetical, uncertain, wished for, or contrary to the facts.
Interchangeable Forms
In nearly all contexts, you can replace 'hubiese' with 'hubiera' (e.g., 'Si hubiese sabido' is the same as 'Si hubiera sabido'). Both are correct, though 'hubiera' is much more common in daily speech.
High-Level Conditional Sentences
This form often appears in 'If' statements about the past, usually paired with the conditional perfect ('habría'): 'Si hubiese hecho X, habría pasado Y' (If I had done X, Y would have happened).
Mixing Conditional and Subjunctive
Mistake: “Si habría estudiado más, hubiese aprobado.”
Correction: Si hubiese estudiado más, habría aprobado. (The 'if' clause always uses the subjunctive, not the conditional in this type of sentence.)
Obligation vs. Hypothetical Past
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