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haber sido

to have been

→ haber
phrase Extremely common #292
to have been Perfect infinitive of ser. Used to refer to an earlier state, identity, or situation, often after another verb or with modal ideas like could, might, or should. In the expression de no haber sido por, it means if it hadn't been for.
SP: Me alegra haber sido parte de tu vida.
EN: I'm glad to have been part of your life.

Sólo puede haber sido castigo.

It could only have been punishment.

— Cidade dos Homens (2007)

En esa época, ¿qué tan graves pudieron haber sido sus problemas?

At that time, how serious could his problems have been?

— Guardianes del día (2006)

Debí haber sido un maldito policía.

I should have been a damn cop.

— Madre (Madeo) (2009)

Los chinos pueden haber sido los primeros hombres en usar la brújula.

The Chinese may have been the first people to use the compass.

No debía haber sido aquel día.

It shouldn't have been that day.

— Zeta (2026)

Debió haber sido la regla de la muñeca.

It must have been the rule of the wrist.

Las cosas podrían haber sido diferentes.

Things could have been different.

— Roofman: Un ladrón en el tejado (2025)

Podríamos haber sido amigos.

We could have been friends.

— Guardianes del día (2006)

Tom deseó haber sido más cuidadoso.

Tom wished he had been more careful.

Y desearía haber sido fuerte por los dos.

And I wish I had been strong for both of them.

— Una batalla tras otra (2025)

Les debo a mis padres el haber sido capaz de terminar la universidad.

I owe it to my parents that I was able to finish university.

Podía haber sido en chino.

It could have been in Chinese.

— Cadena perpetua (1994)

El único muerto deberías de haber sido tú.

You should have been the only one to die.

— Guardianes de la Noche: Tren infinito (2020)

Tiene que haber sido muy difícil para ti.

It must have been very difficult for you.

Debió haber sido un duro trabajo.

It must have been hard work.

— Nausicaä del valle del viento (1984)

Nunca es demasiado tarde para ser lo que pudiste haber sido.

It's never too late to be what you could have been.

Lamento haber sido grosero con él.

I'm sorry I was rude to him.

El robo tiene que haber sido hecho por alguien desde dentro.

The theft must have been carried out by someone on the inside.

Podrías haber sido tú.

It could have been you.

El papá ha de haber sido enorme.

The dad must have been huge.

Él parecía haber sido rico.

He appeared to have been wealthy.

Puede no haber sido la culpa de mi hermano menor, pero tampoco fue mía.

It may not have been my younger brother's fault, but it wasn't mine either.

Debí haber sido más cuidadoso.

I should have been more careful.

— Arrietty y el mundo de los diminutos (2010)

Eso tiene que haber sido terrible.

That must have been terrible.

No puede haber sido él porque estaba conmigo en ese momento y lo puedo confirmar.

It couldn't have been him because he was with me at that moment and I can confirm that.

Siento no haber sido suficiente.

I'm sorry I wasn't enough.

— Incontrolable (I Swear) (2025)

Ella es orgullosa de haber sido bella en su juventud.

She is proud of having been beautiful in her youth.

Estoy avergonzado de no haber sido amable con ella.

I'm ashamed that I wasn't nice to her.

Tú podrías haber sido buen vaquero, Hans.

You could have made a good cowboy, Hans.

— Jungla de cristal (1988)

Lamento haber sido tan rudo.

I'm sorry for being so rude.

Él lamenta haber sido perezoso.

He regrets having been lazy.

Tenías que haber sido tú.

It should have been you.

Podían haber sido doctores, o abogados, ¿o profesores, o madres?

They could have been doctors, or lawyers, or teachers, or mothers?

— Malcolm X (1992)

Hay muchas personas que podrían haber sido.

There are many people who could have been.

Tom está arrepentido de haber sido grosero con Mary.

Tom is sorry for having been rude to Mary.

Tom confesó no haber sido justo.

Tom confessed that he hadn’t been fair.

Él parece haber sido rico.

He appears to have been wealthy.

Me arrepiento de no haber sido nunca amable con él.

I regret never having been kind to him.

Deberíamos haber sido más cuidadosos.

We should have been more careful.

Debió haber sido rica.

She must have been rich.

Esto parece haber sido inevitable.

This seems to have been inevitable.

Estoy avergonzado de haber sido grosero con ella.

I'm ashamed of having been rude to her.

Pero este muchacho no puede haber sido de ninguna manera.

But this boy couldn't have been any other way.

— El secreto de sus ojos (2009)

Podrías haber sido feliz.

You could have been happy.

El atraco de Lufthansa debía haber sido nuestro último golpe.

The Lufthansa robbery was supposed to be our last heist.

— Uno de los nuestros (1990)

Podríamos haber sido nosotros, pobres chicos.

It could have been us, poor boys.

— El salario del miedo (1953)

Creo que pude haber sido yo.

I think it could have been me.

— Cónclave (2024)

Nunca es tarde para ser lo que podrías haber sido.

It's never too late to be what you could have been.

Pretendía haber sido médico.

He had intended to be a doctor.

Mary admitió haber sido injusta.

Mary admitted to having been unfair.

Desearía haber sido amable con ella entonces.

I wish I had been nice to her then.

Podía haber sido mío.

It could have been mine.

— El señor de los anillos: La comunidad del anillo (2001)

Haber sido un desastre hace rato.

It had been a disaster a while ago.

— Pillion (2025)

Tiene que haber sido un golpe para ti.

It must have been a shock for you.

Siento no haber sido sincero con lo del bebé.

I'm sorry I wasn't honest about the baby.

— La asistenta (2025)

Él debió haber sido abogado.

He should have been a lawyer.

Lamento haber sido tan rudo contigo antes.

I'm sorry for being so rude to you earlier.

Deberías haber sido más cuidadoso.

You should have been more careful.

Ellos ni siquiera recuerdan haber sido humanos.

They don't even remember being human.

— El viaje de Chihiro (2001)

Eso puede haber sido verdad.

That may have been true.

phrase Very common #1,848
to have been Used in compound tenses or after another verb to express a past state or completed possibility. Often appears after modal verbs or verbs like desear, lamentar, and poder.
SP: Podría haber sido peor.
EN: It could have been worse.

Tom pudo haber sido asesinado.

Tom may have been murdered.

Podrías haber sido arrestado!

You could have been arrested!

— Gully Boy (2019)

Su cuerpo entero debió haber sido pinchado con agujas.

His entire body must have been pricked with needles.

— Piku (2015)

Según el plan original, este camino ya debería haber sido terminado.

According to the original plan, this road should have already been completed.

Tom nunca debió haber sido liberado.

Tom should never have been released.

Lo que más me molestó fue haber sido engañado.

What bothered me the most was having been deceived.

Sr. Pires, muchos compañeros deberían haber sido liberados.

Mr. Pires, many comrades should have been released.

— Carandiru (2003)

No parece haber sido enterrado en secreto.

It does not appear to have been buried in secret.

— Hierro 3 (2004)

Se fue sin haber sido visto.

He left without being seen.

Tom podría haber sido asesinado.

Tom could have been murdered.

Esto debería haber sido entregado hace una hora.

This should have been delivered an hour ago.

Debe haber sido apuñalado por la espalda cuando huía.

He must have been stabbed in the back as he was fleeing.

— Decision to Leave (2022)

Tom se jacta de nunca haber sido derrotado en una carrera a caballo.

Tom boasts that he has never been beaten in a horse race.

Tom admitió haber sido derrotado.

Tom admitted to having been defeated.

Él estaba desilusionado de no haber sido invitado.

He was disappointed that he hadn't been invited.

La veía aquí aún después de haber sido asesinada.

I saw her here even after she had been murdered.

— Five Nights at Freddy's 2 (2025)

Él estaba furioso por no haber sido invitado.

He was furious at not having been invited.