shoulda
English edit
Etymology edit
Written form of a reduction of should have.
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
shoulda (past subjunctive)
- (colloquial) Contraction of should have.
- You shoulda told him the truth.
Usage notes edit
Like other similarly formed contractions, speakers only use shoulda to replace the modal sense of should have, i.e. where have precedes a past participle: You shoulda gone. They do not use it to replace should followed by the verb have used lexically, e.g. *You shoulda some patience. See also gonna.