Should have / Regret

This pattern is used to express regret about a past action that you didn't do, or a past action that you did and now wish you hadn't. It's equivalent to saying "I should have..." or "I shouldn't have..." in English.

Formation (Positive Regret)

This is for things you didn't do but wish you had.

Verb stems ending in a vowel or ㄹ: Attach -ㄹ걸 그랬어.

가다 (to go) → 갈걸 그랬어 (I should have gone.)

살다 (to live) → 살걸 그랬어 (I should have lived...)

Verb stems ending in a consonant: Attach -을걸 그랬어.

먹다 (to eat) → 먹을걸 그랬어 (I should have eaten it.)

Formation (Negative Regret)

This is for things you did do but now regret.

All verb stems: Attach -지 말걸 그랬어.

말하다 (to say) → 말하지 말걸 그랬어 (I shouldn't have said it.)

공부 좀 할걸 그랬어. / 말하지 말걸 그랬어. / 우산 가져올걸 그랬어.

This pattern has a specific nuance and a very common shortened form that you'll hear frequently in daily conversation.

Nuance of Mild Regret

-을/ㄹ걸 그랬어 conveys a sense of mild, often personal regret. It's like you're muttering to yourself, "Ah, I should've done that." It's less about assigning blame and more about a simple, passing wish that things had been different.

Common Variation: Dropping 그랬어(요)

In casual speech, it's very common for speakers to drop 그랬어(요) and end the sentence with just -을/ㄹ걸. This makes it sound even more like a spontaneous, personal thought or a light sigh of regret.

그냥 살걸 그랬어. → 그냥 살걸.

일찍 잘걸 그랬어요. → 일찍 잘걸. (Note: dropping 그랬어요 makes the expression casual.)

아, 그냥 살걸. / 공부 좀 할걸. / 일찍 잘걸 그랬어.

Another common way to express regret is -았/었어야 했는데, but it carries a different weight and nuance.

-을/ㄹ걸 그랬어

This expresses a lighter, more personal regret. It's often a passing thought or a mild wish, almost like you're talking to yourself.

Example: 일찍 잘걸 그랬어. (I should've slept earlier. I'm just feeling a bit tired now.)

-았/었어야 했는데

This expresses a stronger regret and often implies that not doing the action led to a clear negative consequence. It can carry a sense of blame (towards oneself or a situation) and highlights a missed obligation or necessity. It means "I was supposed to... but I didn't," or "I really had to..."

Example: 일찍 잤어야 했는데. (I really should have slept earlier. ...and because I didn't, I was late for my important meeting.)

우산 가져올걸 그랬어. / 약을 먹었어야 했는데... / 시험공부 더 열심히 할걸 그랬어.

You can easily adjust the politeness level of this pattern by changing the ending. The script lines demonstrate this by providing both casual and polite versions for each example.

Casual Form (반말)

Use -을/ㄹ걸 그랬어 when speaking to close friends, family, or people younger than you.

Example: 택시 탈걸 그랬어. (I should have taken a taxi.)

Polite Form (해요체)

Simply add -요 to the end to make it polite: -을/ㄹ걸 그랬어요. Use this form with colleagues, acquaintances, or anyone you need to show respect to.

Example: 택시 탈걸 그랬어요. (I should have taken a taxi.)

네 말 들을걸 그랬어. / 호리 씨 말 들을걸 그랬어요. / 큰 거 살걸 그랬어. / 큰 거 살걸 그랬어요.