Grammar: ✨ Grammar Essentials: 🧩 Parts of Speech & 🏗️ Sentence Structure (Advanced) (B2) - Lesson 8: Wishes & Regrets about the Past (I wish/If only + Past Perfect)

✨ Lesson 8: Wishes & Regrets about the Past

We all think about the past. Sometimes we have a regret¹ about something we did, or didn't do. In English, we use the phrases "I wish²" and "If only" to express these feelings. To talk about a past regret, we must use the Past Perfect³ tense.

The Grammar of Past Regrets

The structure for expressing a wish or regret about the past is always the same. We use the Past Perfect (had + past participle) to show that we are talking about a past event that we now want to be different.

Formula: I wish / If only + Subject + had/hadn't + Past Participle

Reality (Past Simple): I didn't study for the test.

Regret: "I wish I had studied for the test."

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Reality (Past Simple): I ate too much spicy food.

Regret: "If only I hadn't eaten so much spicy food."

"I wish" vs. "If only"

These two phrases have the same meaning and grammatical structure, but there is a small difference in feeling. "If only" is generally more emphatic⁴ or dramatic. It shows a very strong feeling of regret.

I wish (Common Regret):
"The market is closed now. I wish I had gone this morning."

If only (Strong/Dramatic Regret):
"I missed the last bus to Battambang by one minute! If only I had left my house earlier!"

Notice that these structures are like the 'if' clause of a Third Conditional, but without the result clause. The sad result is implied⁵ by our feeling of regret.

🧠 Practice Quiz: Express the Regret

Complete the sentences with the correct Past Perfect form of the verb in brackets.

1. I missed the beginning of the movie. I wish I _______ (arrive) on time.
   Answer: had arrived
2. He failed his driving test. He wishes he _______ (practice) more.
   Answer: had practiced
3. If only I _______ (not eat) that street food. I feel sick now.
   Answer: hadn't eaten
4. She lost her phone. She wishes she _______ (be) more careful with it.
   Answer: had been
5. The weather on our trip was terrible. I wish it _______ (be) sunny.
   Answer: had been

📝 Homework: Your Past Wishes

Write a full sentence expressing a regret for each situation.

1. Think about something you didn't do last weekend, but now you feel bad about it. (e.g., you didn't call your parents).
   (Example: I wish I had called my parents last weekend.)
   _________________________________________
2. Think about a mistake you made yesterday. (e.g., you spent too much money).
   (Example: If only I hadn't spent so much money at the market yesterday.)
   _________________________________________
3. Think about an opportunity you missed in the past. (e.g., you didn't learn to play an instrument).
   (Example: I wish I had learned to play the guitar when I was younger.)
   _________________________________________

Vocabulary Glossary

1. Regret: (Noun) - ការសោកស្តាយ (kaa saok'sdaay) - A feeling of sadness about something you did or did not do in the past. ↩
2. Wish: (Noun) - បំណងប្រាថ្នា (bâm'nâng pra'tʰnaa) - A desire or hope for something to happen. ↩
3. Past Perfect: (Noun Phrase) - អតីតកាលបរិបូណ៌ (â'ti'tâ'kal bo'rĭ'bao) - A tense used to talk about actions that were completed before some point in the past (had + past participle). ↩
4. Emphatic: (Adjective) - ដែលសង្កត់ធ្ងន់ (dael sâng'kât'thngón) - Giving special importance or force to something. ↩
5. Implied: (Adjective) - ដែលបង្កប់ន័យ (dael bâng'kâp'nœ̆y) - Suggested but not directly expressed. ↩