So you could have just said

[Maybo]

Why did the speaker say "could have said"? Why didn't she said "could say"? Is it that when we use "could have said", it sounds more hypothetic?

And then you said, "looking at this yearbook makes me feel like a dinosaur". So you could have just said, "that makes me feel old". You're saying but dinosaur that's kind of a dynamic, kind of more jokey way to say it since you're talking about yourself.

Source: All Ears English Podcast

 

[emsr2d2]

Why did the speaker say "could have said"? Why didn't she said "could say"? Is it that when we use "could have said", it sounds more hypothetic?

And then you said, "Looking at this yearbook makes me feel like a dinosaur". So you could have just said, "That makes me feel old". You're saying but dinosaur that's kind of a dynamic, kind of more jokey way to say it since you're talking about yourself.

Source: All Ears English Podcast

Using "could say" there wouldn't work. The person already said (in real life) "Looking at the yearbook ...". The other person is saying that, instead of saying that sentence, the person could have said "That makes me feel old".
Are you sure you've copied the underlined part correctly? It doesn't make sense.

 

[Maybo]

Are you sure you've copied the underlined part correctly? It doesn't make sense.

I guess she's thinking how to say it.
at 14:26

 

[emsr2d2]

I guess she's thinking about how to say it.

OK, now that I've heard it, I would punctuate it differently. I'd write:

"... but "dinosaur"! That's kind of a dynamic ...".

 

[Tarheel]

Why did the speaker say "could have said"? Why didn't she SAY "could say"? Is it that when we use "could have said", it sounds more hypothetic?

And then you said, "looking at this yearbook makes me feel like a dinosaur". So you could have just said, "that makes me feel old". You're saying but dinosaur that's kind of a dynamic, kind of more jokey way to say it since you're talking about yourself.

Source: All Ears English Podcast

Hypothetic? No, "humorous" would be better.

You could have said - there was another possibility, perhaps one more natural

 

[5jj]

'You could have said' is hypothetical, @Tarheel.

 

[Tarheel]

'You could have said' is hypothetical, @Tarheel.

That's the word that came to mind.