You should have stopped VS You would have stopped

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi,

Can I use the following sentences interchangeably?

(i) You should have stopped at the roundabout.
(ii) You would have stopped at the roundabout.

Thanks in advance. Cheerio

2

No.

(i) means that the person ought to have stopped but didn’t.

(ii) implies a conditional: “You would have stopped at the roundabout if …”. It is unlikely as a standalone statement, but requires some surrounding context to explain the “if” condition that is implied.

3

Hi Dozy,

I have to say that I wasn’t expecting this. Apparently I’ve just found a mistake on the book where I’m studying.

4

What does the book specifically say?

5

Well, the book is not really clear on this point. It says that in the following cases you can also use “should” instead of “would”:

  • I would have bought that painting if I had been rich.
  • We would have come if you had invited us.
  • We wouldn’t have had an accident if you had stopped at the roundabout.

Then the book gives the following example: You SHOULD have stopped at the roundabout.

The whole thing does not make sense, actually.

6

Oh, OK, I see what you mean now.

In conditional sentences, such as the first three you quote from the book, “would” is normal. “should” is also technically correct, at least with first-person subjects, but is becoming uncommon and may feel stilted or dated. For example:

“We would have come if you had invited us.” – normal form
“We should have come if you had invited us.” – used by certain speakers; may feel dated

When “should” is used in the sense of “ought to”, it cannot be replaced by “would”. Thus

“You should have stopped at the roundabout. You nearly had us killed!” – correct
“You would have stopped at the roundabout. You nearly had us killed!” – incorrect

If your original sentence was in the first-person, and had sufficient context to be interpreted as a conditional, then it is possible that both “should” and “would” could be used, with the same proviso that “would” is the norm in modern conversational English:

“If I’d seen the truck I would/should have stopped at the roundabout.”

With a non-first-person subject, and with lack of context, this kind of interpretation is not obvious from the sentences you originally posted.

7

Thanks, Dozy. It seems to me a really complex matter!