should've

English edit

Etymology edit

should +‎ -'ve

Pronunciation edit

(UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈʃʊdəv/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
Rhymes: -ʊdəv

Contraction edit

should've

Contraction of should have.
He should've arrived earlier.

Usage notes edit

Like other similarly formed contractions, speakers only use should've to replace the modal sense of should have, i.e. where have precedes a past participle: You should've gone. They do not use it to replace should followed by the verb have used lexically, e.g. *You should've some patience. See also gonna.

Synonyms edit

shoulda

Related terms edit

shouldn't've (negative form)