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.