How would "He could have seen me" be translated to German?

Question

Which of these two are the correct translation of the sentence "He could have seen me"?

Er könnte mich gesehen haben.

Er hätte mich gesehen können.

I have seen both forms and am a little confused. If both are correct please tell me where to use which one if there's a preference.

Best, Hooman

Related: Wie übersetzt man “It could have happened” am besten ins Deutsche? — user9551, Commented Jan 1, 2015 at 18:02
Thanks Loong. I saw these links and they both were pretty helpful. They both confirmed the below response by Stephie. — Hooman, Commented Jan 2, 2015 at 21:15

Stephie · Accepted Answer · 2015-01-01 18:00:29Z

1

He could have seen me.

translates to:

Er hätte mich sehen können.

Your use of conditional /"Konjunktiv" in you second suggestion was good, but you need the infinitive here ( no "ge-").

Your first suggestion

Er könnte mich gesehen haben.

Would translate back as

He might have seen me.

answered Jan 1, 2015 at 18:00

Stephie

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Hello Stephie, Thanks for correcting me on (2), and for your helpful reply. I got my answer, however it raises more questions for me :D How would then these two sentences be different? 1. Er müsste mich gesehen haben. 2. Er Hätte mich sehen müssen. Best,
– Hooman
Commented Jan 2, 2015 at 5:37
Did you check the two related questions @Loong posted below your original question?
– Stephie
Commented Jan 2, 2015 at 7:04
Yes Stephie. They both gave the same answer as you did.
– Hooman
Commented Jan 2, 2015 at 19:36
Then you were able to answer your second question yourself? If not, please ask questions only in the questions section, unless it's a request for clarification.
– Stephie
Commented Jan 2, 2015 at 19:38
My second question remains unresolved. I will ask it in the questions section.
– Hooman
Commented Jan 2, 2015 at 21:12

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