n'aurait pas pu

couldn't have

→ ne

phrase Rare #36,070

couldn't have A negative conditional past form, often expressing that something would have been impossible. The subject can change; for example, “on n'aurait pas pu” means “we couldn't have.”

FR: Elle n'aurait pas pu le deviner.

EN: She couldn't have guessed it.

Elle n'aurait pas pu l'aimer mais elle aurait pu l'épouser.

She couldn't have loved him, but she could have married him.

— Manon des sources (1986)

Elle n'aurait pas pu sortir.

She couldn't have gone out.

— Ne Zha 2 (2025)

Tom n'aurait pas pu le faire sans l'aide de Mary.

Tom couldn't have done it without Mary's help.

On n'aurait pas pu sans toi.

We couldn't have done it without you.

— Harry Potter et la Chambre des secrets (2002)

Il n'aurait pas pu le dire plus clairement.

He couldn't have put it more clearly.

Il savait des trucs qu'il n'aurait pas pu savoir.

He knew things he couldn't possibly have known.

— Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die (2026)

Ça n'aurait pas pu être pire.

It couldn’t have been worse.

— Lagaan (2001)

Il partit tôt, autrement il n'aurait pas pu monter dans ce train.

He left early; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to get on that train.

On n'aurait pas pu aller explorer.

We wouldn't have been able to go exploring.

— La La Land (2016)