How to express regrets in English Learn English with Harry ??

How to express regrets in English Learn English with Harry ?? Here you will learn how to express regrets in English. Hi there, this is Harry from englishlessonviaskype.com where I try to help you to understand English language a little bit better. English phrases, expressions and basic grammar rules.So I hope you’re all keeping well, and today we’re talking about regrets in English. How to express regrets in English and different ways of expressing regrets in English. How to express regrets in English Previous Next I Wish and If only English Grammar Structures We use I WISH and IF ONLY when we’re talking about regrets.1?? FIRST RULEWe use WISH / IF ONLY with the Past Simple or the Past Continuous or COULD + present bare infinitive in the main clause to express regret about the present or the future. Okay?Let me give you some examples.I wish you were here.So they’re not but you do wish that somebody was there to help you with a particular problem or issue.I wish I could talk to you now.You’d like to talk to someone but you can’t because they’re not available.I wish you could see this place.You really want someone to see this place but it’s not possible at the moment so this is the way you express your regret. How to express regrets in English 2?? SECOND RULEWe use WISH / IF ONLY with the Past Perfect in the main clause to talk about regrets in the past.I wish I hadn’t said that.You did, you can’t take it back but you really wish that it hadn’t happened.If only I’d known you were coming.I didn’t know you were coming, we could have met, but we didn’t because I didn’t know. A regret about the past action.3?? THIRD RULEWe can also use WOULD.And we use WOULD when we want to get somebody to do something, or to get somebody to stop doing something.I wish you would stop banging that drum.Parent’s wishing the child would be a little bit more quiet.I wish he wouldn’t shout so loud when he’s on the telephone.If only they would stop shouting at each other.So here are the English grammar rules concerning I WISH and IF ONLY, and we are talking about regrets that we can have about the present, future or past.