must have learned
How do you say 'I must have learned' something, since I can ...?
4 Answers
I have been taking a close look to I have been pondering over my English book (the one I'm using to prepare myself for an exam) in order to find a good translation to that sentence because that's something that has bothered me since I first had to face its translation into Spanish.
I noticed that English speakers use the pattern must have + past participle in the following cases:
There is certainty that something happened in the past. As in: Steven must have arrived in Perth by now. (I am certain he has arrived).
To draw a conclusion about something in the past, as in: So someone else must have opened the door from the inside (active) and It must have been opened from the inside (passive).
As for the translations, number 1. should be:
- Steven debe (de) haber llegado a Perth ya. Also is common to use the verb tener with the same meaning - for example: Tiene que haber cocinado ella, no había nadie más en la casa. - (She must have cooked, there was nobody else at home) .
And number 2:
- Así que otra persona (alguien más) debe de haber abierto la puerta desde el interior (voz activa) y Debe de haber sido abierta desde el interior (voz pasiva).
Going back to the phrase of this question: I must have learned something, since I can.... I suppose that the draw a conclusion usage qualifies. For example: I must have learned some English, since I dare to write this answer (I am stating that the fact that I'm writing this proves that I've learned some English).
As far as I can see, I think that the periphrasis verb deber + de + haber + past participle works quite fine to translate this (odd to me) type of sentence with the Modal must. Then, the conjugation of the ver deber in present should be a must-know.
- Yo debo de haber ...
- Tú debes de haber ...
- Él/Ella debe de haber ...
- Nosotros debemos de haber ...
- Vosotros debéis de haber ...
- Ellos deben de haber ...
But you know that (we) natives love making things difficult for Spanish learners and, for us, if something happened in the past we tend to conjugate it in a preterite form. That's why you shouldn't be surprised if you read or hear the following:
- Yo debí de haber ...
- Tú debiste de haber ...
- Él/Ella debió de haber ...
- Nosotros debimos de haber ...
- Vosotros debisteis de haber ...
- Ellos debieron de haber ...
At the present time I say debo de haber aprendido. Since I'm considering the amount of knowledge that I've must have learned from an uncertain moment in the past until the present day, in Spanish feels good to use the present tense. But if I relate to a period of time in the past, already finished, then I can say debí de haber aprendido as in:
- Algo debí de haber aprendido en el instituto ya que me gradué como el primero mi clase. (I must have learned something in high school since I graduated first of my class). Here, I'm drawing a conclusion based on my grades.
However, the preterite version (debí, debiste, debió..) is ambiguous and context-dependent. It may express:
- The nuance of past deduction I've already written about. Or
- To talk about something that didn't happen in the past, particularly when we want to imply some regret or criticism, as in: Debió haber llamado a la policía en cuanto se encontró la puerta abierta. (He should have called the police as soon as he found the door open).
That's why (I think) our companion -cae- here (and myself many times) translated the English expression must have + past participle as:
- debió de haber ... or
- debiste de haber ... or
- debieron de haber...
- ...
It does not always imply regret.
Debí haber aprendido...
As is often the case with Modals M U ST is confusing.
I must to do it - present / I must have done it - past
I must to do it = it will / would be beneficial for me to do it.
I must have done it = it could only have been me
- but there could exist some doubt or I simply don't remember doing it. (maybe I was drunk)
You must do it - is an attempt to give someone an obligation to do it.
As apposed to
You / I have to do it = you / I already have an obligation to do it.
You mustn't do it (there is no past option) = a prohibition.
How these are expressed as precisely in Spanish has always confused me.
And when I ask a native speaker to explain the difference between
Debo hacerlo and Tengo que hacerlo
I get blank looks and or differing opinions.
cae:
I would rather say "debo haber aprendido..." instead of "debí", because the latter might mean that he or she should have....
See?
Now, my question to you, since you seem to know grammar.
Debo haber... or debo de haber....?
