October 20, 2025 • 9 mins
Hey, let me ask you a question - have you ever made a decision… and then later thought, “Oh man, I shouldn’t have done that”? Or maybe you’ve thought, “If only I had done it differently.” Yeah. That, my friend, is regret - and we all feel it sometimes. Regret is one of those universal emotions - something everyone experiences. And in English, we’ve got a few really natural and emotional ways to talk about it. So today, I’ll show you how to use phrases like “I should have,” “I wish I had,” and “If only I had” - plus some everyday expressions people use when they mess up.
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Join my Podcast Learner's Study Group here: https://www.myhappyenglish.com/plsg
Visit my website for over 3,000 free English lessons: https://www.myhappyenglish.com/
My AI English Tutor is HERE
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Man, I screwed up. I shouldn't have done that. I mean,
I wish I had thought about it more ahead of time.
I mean, man, if only I had done it when
I was gonna do it.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Oh brother, Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to
you from New York City. And here's your English teacher, Michael.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Alright, thank you John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael here
from Happy English and I help people speak English better.
This is Happy English Podcast Episode nine ten. How to
use should, wish, and if only to express regret in English.
(00:53):
Thanks for tuning in. Hey, let me ask you a question.
Have you ever done something or made a decision then
later thought, oh, man, I shouldn't have done that, Or
maybe you've thought if only I had done it differently? Yeah, that,
my friend is regret, and we all feel it sometimes.
(01:15):
Regret is one of those universal emotions, something that everyone experiences,
and in English we've got a few really natural and
emotional ways to talk about it. So today I'll show
you how to use phrases like I should have, I
wish I had, if only I had, plus some everyday
(01:40):
casual expressions people use when they mess up. First, up,
we have I should have and I shouldn't have. This
is probably the most common way we express regret in English.
It's great when you want to say you made a
mistake or missed a chance, like the other day, I
(02:03):
had a meeting early in the morning, but I stayed
up late watching Netflix. And yeah, the next morning I
said I should have gone to bed earlier. That's to
regret right there. By the way, in everyday casual conversation
we pronounce should have, as should have or shouldn't have,
(02:29):
like I should have studied more, or I shouldn't have
said that. That's very native and very natural. Or sometimes
we say things like I shouldn't have eaten at pizza,
or we should have checked the weather before going to
the beach. You can even say this about other people.
(02:50):
He shouldn't have spoken to her like that. The next
set is I wish I had and I wish wish
I hadn't. These are a little more emotional than should have.
We tend to use I wish I had and I
wish I hadn't when we feel sorry about something in
(03:12):
the past, like when I was younger, I had the
chance to study abroad, but I didn't, And honestly, to
this day, I still say I wish I had taken
that opportunity. We also use this when we say or
do something we regret, like I wish I hadn't said
(03:33):
that to her, or I wish I had saved more
money when I was younger. Yeah, you can say that again.
The third set is if only I had and if
only I hadn't. This one's really dramatic, like something you'd
(03:54):
hear in a movie or read in a novel. If
only I had means I really regret this and I
feel strongly about it. Let's say you forget to bring
your umbrella and you get soaked, you might say if
only I had checked the weather, Or after a breakup,
(04:17):
when the romance is over, you might say something like
if only I hadn't said that, or if only I
had told her how I really felt. This kind of
language shows deep emotion, and this phrase feels deeper than
the others because we often say it with a sigh,
(04:40):
like Ah, if only I hadn't broken up with her,
my life would have been totally different. Yeah, but that
was thirty years ago, Michael. Yeah, if only I had
and if only I hadn't. These are perfect for storytelling
(05:03):
or when you really want to express your feelings by
the way. We also have some lighter, casual ways to
talk about regret. Sometimes we don't use full grammar to
show regret. We just talk casually, like you can use
blow it or the past tense, which is blew it.
(05:27):
When you blew it, you made a big mistake, like man,
I blew it, I totally forgot that yesterday was Jenny's birthday,
or like when a job interview doesn't go well and
you didn't land the job, I totally blew that interview.
(05:47):
Other casual phrases are I messed up and I screwed up.
These mean the same thing, you made a mistake and
you feel bad about it, like ah, I messed up
my presentation, I forgot half of what I wanted to say,
or I really screwed up by not backing up my
(06:10):
files before my computer crashed. Both of these are super
common in casual speech. Not rude, but definitely informal. And
here's one more that started being used pretty recently in English,
my bad. This one's even more relaxed. It's like saying sorry,
(06:32):
that was my mistake. Like if you send someone the
wrong file, you can just say, oh, sorry, my bad, quick, casual,
and used all the time. So yeah, when it comes
to regret, we've got a full range from serious phrases
like I should have and I wish I hadn't to
(06:54):
these quick, easy, and casual ones like I blew it,
I messed up up, and my bad. Just pick the
one that fits how you feel and who you're talking to.
So let's recap. I should have and I shouldn't have
are great for simple regrets like I shouldn't have drunk
(07:17):
so much last night, I wish I had and I
wish I hadn't. Are more emotional and personal like I
wish I hadn't argued with her If only I had
is dramatic good for storytelling or serious feelings? Ah yeah,
(07:37):
if only I hadn't broken up with her? And casual
phrases like I blew it, I messed up, or I
screwed up sound natural in everyday English. So here's your challenge.
Think about a little regret that you've had recently, like
maybe you didn't study enough, or maybe you missed a
(07:59):
fun of or you bought something that you didn't need.
Try putting that idea into English using one of these
regret expressions. Like I shouldn't have bought that, or I
wish I hadn't done that. Say it out loud, feel
the rhythm and use it in your conversations this week.
(08:21):
And hey, if you want to practice this English with
me and a group of other awesome learners, come check
out my podcast Learner's Study Group. We meet once a
week and practice the language from these podcast lessons together.
It's a great way to build confidence and improve your speaking.
(08:42):
Just check the link where you are listening to this
podcast right now, or Visitmhappy English dot com and choose
podcast episode nine to ten for more info. Thanks for listening,
and remember learning in other language is not easy, but
it's not impossible, and I'm here to help you on
(09:04):
your journey.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
This podcast is brought to you by Happy English. Please
visit Myhappy English dot com show your support for Happy
English by leading us a review. Get English, Get Happy,
Happy English.
Man, I screwed up. I shouldn't have done that. I mean,
I wish I had thought about it more ahead of time.
I mean, man, if only I had done it when
I was gonna do it.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Oh brother, Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to
you from New York City. And here's your English teacher, Michael.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Alright, thank you John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael here
from Happy English and I help people speak English better.
This is Happy English Podcast Episode nine ten. How to
use should, wish, and if only to express regret in English.
(00:53):
Thanks for tuning in. Hey, let me ask you a question.
Have you ever done something or made a decision then
later thought, oh, man, I shouldn't have done that, Or
maybe you've thought if only I had done it differently? Yeah, that,
my friend is regret, and we all feel it sometimes.
(01:15):
Regret is one of those universal emotions, something that everyone experiences,
and in English we've got a few really natural and
emotional ways to talk about it. So today I'll show
you how to use phrases like I should have, I
wish I had, if only I had, plus some everyday
(01:40):
casual expressions people use when they mess up. First, up,
we have I should have and I shouldn't have. This
is probably the most common way we express regret in English.
It's great when you want to say you made a
mistake or missed a chance, like the other day, I
(02:03):
had a meeting early in the morning, but I stayed
up late watching Netflix. And yeah, the next morning I
said I should have gone to bed earlier. That's to
regret right there. By the way, in everyday casual conversation
we pronounce should have, as should have or shouldn't have,
(02:29):
like I should have studied more, or I shouldn't have
said that. That's very native and very natural. Or sometimes
we say things like I shouldn't have eaten at pizza,
or we should have checked the weather before going to
the beach. You can even say this about other people.
(02:50):
He shouldn't have spoken to her like that. The next
set is I wish I had and I wish wish
I hadn't. These are a little more emotional than should have.
We tend to use I wish I had and I
wish I hadn't when we feel sorry about something in
(03:12):
the past, like when I was younger, I had the
chance to study abroad, but I didn't, And honestly, to
this day, I still say I wish I had taken
that opportunity. We also use this when we say or
do something we regret, like I wish I hadn't said
(03:33):
that to her, or I wish I had saved more
money when I was younger. Yeah, you can say that again.
The third set is if only I had and if
only I hadn't. This one's really dramatic, like something you'd
(03:54):
hear in a movie or read in a novel. If
only I had means I really regret this and I
feel strongly about it. Let's say you forget to bring
your umbrella and you get soaked, you might say if
only I had checked the weather, Or after a breakup,
(04:17):
when the romance is over, you might say something like
if only I hadn't said that, or if only I
had told her how I really felt. This kind of
language shows deep emotion, and this phrase feels deeper than
the others because we often say it with a sigh,
(04:40):
like Ah, if only I hadn't broken up with her,
my life would have been totally different. Yeah, but that
was thirty years ago, Michael. Yeah, if only I had
and if only I hadn't. These are perfect for storytelling
(05:03):
or when you really want to express your feelings by
the way. We also have some lighter, casual ways to
talk about regret. Sometimes we don't use full grammar to
show regret. We just talk casually, like you can use
blow it or the past tense, which is blew it.
(05:27):
When you blew it, you made a big mistake, like man,
I blew it, I totally forgot that yesterday was Jenny's birthday,
or like when a job interview doesn't go well and
you didn't land the job, I totally blew that interview.
(05:47):
Other casual phrases are I messed up and I screwed up.
These mean the same thing, you made a mistake and
you feel bad about it, like ah, I messed up
my presentation, I forgot half of what I wanted to say,
or I really screwed up by not backing up my
(06:10):
files before my computer crashed. Both of these are super
common in casual speech. Not rude, but definitely informal. And
here's one more that started being used pretty recently in English,
my bad. This one's even more relaxed. It's like saying sorry,
(06:32):
that was my mistake. Like if you send someone the
wrong file, you can just say, oh, sorry, my bad, quick, casual,
and used all the time. So yeah, when it comes
to regret, we've got a full range from serious phrases
like I should have and I wish I hadn't to
(06:54):
these quick, easy, and casual ones like I blew it,
I messed up up, and my bad. Just pick the
one that fits how you feel and who you're talking to.
So let's recap. I should have and I shouldn't have
are great for simple regrets like I shouldn't have drunk
(07:17):
so much last night, I wish I had and I
wish I hadn't. Are more emotional and personal like I
wish I hadn't argued with her If only I had
is dramatic good for storytelling or serious feelings? Ah yeah,
(07:37):
if only I hadn't broken up with her? And casual
phrases like I blew it, I messed up, or I
screwed up sound natural in everyday English. So here's your challenge.
Think about a little regret that you've had recently, like
maybe you didn't study enough, or maybe you missed a
(07:59):
fun of or you bought something that you didn't need.
Try putting that idea into English using one of these
regret expressions. Like I shouldn't have bought that, or I
wish I hadn't done that. Say it out loud, feel
the rhythm and use it in your conversations this week.
(08:21):
And hey, if you want to practice this English with
me and a group of other awesome learners, come check
out my podcast Learner's Study Group. We meet once a
week and practice the language from these podcast lessons together.
It's a great way to build confidence and improve your speaking.
(08:42):
Just check the link where you are listening to this
podcast right now, or Visitmhappy English dot com and choose
podcast episode nine to ten for more info. Thanks for listening,
and remember learning in other language is not easy, but
it's not impossible, and I'm here to help you on
(09:04):
your journey.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
This podcast is brought to you by Happy English. Please
visit Myhappy English dot com show your support for Happy
English by leading us a review. Get English, Get Happy,
Happy English.
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