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Expressing regrets

There are many ways to express regrets... 

- I'm sorry/ I regret/ I wish/ I'd like [I'd have liked]/ should/ shouldn't/ are the main ones! 

These expressions may change meanings, depending on the tenses which accompany

them, and on the negative forms which are in the sentence, or not! 

1) Regrets concerning the present which isn't always similar to what was expected... 

* I'M SORRY+ clause or with for

- I'm sorry she isn't here. 

- I'm sorry to be late./ I'm sorry for being late. 

* I REGRET+ clause (more formal)/ I regret+ gerund. 

- I regret I can't do it. / I regret doing it. 

* TO WISH+ modal preterite (to be: 'were' all along)

- She wishes she weren't so shy. 

 She wishes: she would like NOT to be so shy, hence the regret.

2) REGRETS concerning the past, which hasn't been what would have been expected.  

- I'm sorry that you didn't tell me the truth.

- I wish you had told me.../ If only he told me the truth./ If only he had told me the truth. 

- SHOULD/ SHOULDN'T: regret of what should have been done, or not done.  

- I should really have listened to your advice./ I shouldn't have believed what the man had said. 

 What is conditional type 3?  would have + past participle (would have passed)

PLEASE REMEMBER: in order to express a REGRET using I WISH: 

I WISH + past perfect: [had all along+ past participle]

- I wish he hadn't come to the party. He made such a fuss.

The students who insist on translating mentally from French before speaking English  are often

making mistake on the uses (or not...) of negation. The solution becomes easy to find if you use

(mentally) IF ONLY... or WHY did he/ didn't he?... 

- If only he hadn't come to  the party!/ Why did he come to the party? 

I wish he hadn't come to the party! 

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1. I wish you spokehad spokenhadn't spokenI don't know to the manager. He is furious and stormed at me.



2. I regret to informingI informedinformingI don't know you that we shall not be able to deliver your order before next month.



3. He wishes they hadn't toldhad tellinghad toldI don't know them about it... Now everybody knows.



4. Your mother wishes you have tellinghad toldhadn't tellI don't know them the truth before the meeting;



5. 'Oh dear ! I should never have believedshould ever believeshouldn't never have believedI don't know what you had told me… What a liar you are!'



6. I’m sorry I should notI needn'tI won't be ableI don't know to go to the country with you next weekend.



7. 'I ought to takeneedn't takeshould have takenI don't know a raincoat and my boots. Because of my pretty little shoes, I couldn’t go where you went.'



8. I wish he had madehe was makinghe hadn't madeI don't know fun of me in front of all our friends. What a shame!



9. If only she hadn't mentionedmentionedhad mentionedI don't know it, it would have remained a secret.



10.
I really regret I hadn't boughtbuyingI had been buyingI don't know this dress. It doesn’t suit me, yet it was quite expensive.