Difference between Conditional Perfect and Future Perfect (w/ respect to probability)

Question

Habrá ido a la fiesta. = (She has probably gone to the party)

Habría ido a la fiesta. = (She had probably gone to the party)

¿Esta distinción es correcta?

Gracias

Tim

Answer 1

habría ido a la fiesta.. she would have gone to the party.

habrá ido a la fiesta... she will have gone to the party.

There is no 'probably involved' in either case, unless you give more context, in which case I may well turn out to be wrong, of course.

it is almost impossible to answer this type of question without context. - annierats, Nov 20, 2012

Answer 2

Perhaps it is best to look at all the meanings for the Perfect (compound) tenses using the model verb hablar:

he hablado - I have spoken (present perfect) - begun in the past, completed in the present.

había hablado (hube hablado) - I had spoken (past perfect) preterite perfect - begun in the past, completed in the past.

habré hablado - I will have spoken (future perfect: speaking of events ending and completing in the past which is the future in relation to a time further in the future) "By the time we meet next Wednesday, I will have spoken to the chairman of the board."

habría hablado - I would (should) have spoken (conditional perfect)

The lack of verb inflections in English to express tenses complicates the translation process and the way we think of the action of the verb in English versus Spanish. English uses auxilary verbs in conjunction with the main verb to express nuances that are contained in one word in Spanish. There is bound to be some confusion in grasping the meaning of certain phrases.

At least that's how I see it!

Answer 3

Here are pages from this website that indicate that they also have these meanings:

http://www.spanishdict.com/topics/show/103:

Actions that indicate likelihood or supposition

Él habrá ido a otro café. (He might have gone to another cafe.) Ellos habrán tenido hambre para la noche. (They may have been hungry by the evening.) Habrá salido de Atlanta. (She must have left Atlanta.)

http://www.spanishdict.com/topics/show/104:

- Probability of an action that has already been completed

Habría comido antes de salir. (He had probably already eaten before leaving.) Habrían sido las ocho cuando llegamos. (It must have been eight o’clock when we arrived.)

yes, that is habrá, but you must have context for that one. It doesn't occur singly. Habrá dejado los guantes en el camion. you must have left the gloves in the lorry. - annierats, Nov 20, 2012

habría sido las ocho: It would have been eight oclock, when.. Habría comidaoo, he would have eaten before he went out. - annierats, Nov 20, 2012