Metkagram
EN RU

B2–C1 · GFB · GFB005

Subject + may have been + -ing

Explanation

A reusable frame from “Modal scope and past inference”. Compare how English and German express modal scope and past inference. Practise reusable constructions with Russian translations.

Structure

EN · EnglishSubject + may have been + -ing
DE · GermanSubject + könnte(n) + ... + participle + haben/sein

Anchor phrase

RU · Translation

Возможно, она пыталась тебя защитить.

EN · English

She may have been trying to protect you.

DE · German

Sie könnte versucht haben, dich zu schützen.

Try variations2 · more examples

  1. RU · Translation

    Возможно, он имел в виду другой документ.

    EN · English

    He may have been referring to another document.

    DE · German

    Er könnte sich auf ein anderes Dokument bezogen haben.

  2. RU · Translation

    Возможно, они пользовались более старой версией.

    EN · English

    They may have been using an older version.

    DE · German

    Sie könnten eine ältere Version benutzt haben.

Pattern graph

Continue with nearby patterns

GFB003Subject + must have been + -ing + past contextGFBGFB004Subject + cannot have been + -ing; evidenceGFBGFB006Subject + should have been + -ing + instead of + -ingGFBGFB008Subject + might have been + past participleGFB