hätte man

one would have

→ haben

phrase Uncommon #20,086

one would have “Man” means “one” or “people in general.” With a verb such as “sollen” later in the sentence, the phrase can express what one should have done.

GE: Hätte man das verhindern können?

EN: Could one have prevented that?

Ohne den Tipp von dir, hätte man mir meine Tasche gestohlen.

Without your tip, my bag would have been stolen.

Das hätte man tun können.

That could have been done.

Hätte man retten können.

It could have been saved.

— Do the Right Thing (1989)

In anderen Zeiten hätte man das nicht geduldet.

In other times, this would not have been tolerated.

Diesen Brief hätte man dem ganzen Dorf zeigen können.

This letter could have been shown to the whole village.

— Manons Rache (1986)

Das hätte man Ihnen nicht gestatten dürfen.

You should not have been allowed to do that.

Früher hätte man gesagt, Sie hatten einen Schlaganfall.

In the past, people would have said you had a stroke.

— Schmetterling und Taucherglocke (2007)

So hätte man beginnen können, den Dreck bei der Polizei zu tilgen.

That would have been a good way to start cleaning up the mess in the police force.

— Elite Squad: Im Sumpf der Korruption (2010)

Hätte man nicht die Polizei rufen sollen?

Shouldn't the police have been called?

— Perfect Blue (1998)

Mir ist, als hätte man mir ins Herz gestochen.

I feel like I've been stabbed in the heart.

In einem anders Land hätte man das nie erlaubt.

In another country, that would never have been allowed.

Das hätte man dir eine Million Mal sagen müssen.

You should have been told that a million times.

— Girls' Night Out (2017)

Hätte er sie hier verkauft, hätte man ihn geschnappt.

If he had sold them here, he would have been caught.

— PK - Andere Sterne, andere Sitten (2014)

Vielleicht hätte man all diese Fotos wegwerfen sollen.

Maybe all these photos should have been thrown away.

Hätte ich das Haus nicht an ihn verloren, hätte man mich erschossen.

If I hadn't lost the house to him, I would have been shot.

— Leben! (1994)