B2 · Unit 26 · 44 words, 2 texts with translation
Talk about your regrets
Talk about things that didn't happen and things you regret: what could have gone differently, what weighs on your conscience and what you never got to do.
Texts in this unit
Grammar in this unit
Three set phrases about what didn't happen: me habría gustado, si lo hubiera sabido, debería haberlo dicho
People talk about things that didn't happen all the time: "too bad it didn't work out", "if only I'd known", "I should have said something". The full rule comes at the next level. For now, learn three phrases as a whole: memorize them and use them.
| Phrase | When you say it |
|---|---|
| me habría gustado — I would have liked (to) | you wanted something, but it didn't happen |
| si lo hubiera sabido — if I had known | you found out too late |
| debería haberlo dicho — I should have said it | you blame yourself or someone else |
What you can change and what comes next.
- me habría gustado — only the person changes: te, le, nos habría gustado. After it comes an infinitive or a noun: Me habría gustado ir contigo. — I would have liked to go with you. A mi madre le habría gustado esta casa. — My mother would have liked this house. If you wanted someone else to do something, use que and the -ra form (unit 13): Me habría gustado que me llamaras. — I would have liked you to call me.
- si lo hubiera sabido — the person changes: hubieras, hubiéramos, hubieran. People often stop the sentence right there: ¡Si lo hubiera sabido! — If only I had known! To finish it, say what would be true now, with the plain conditional (B1, unit 4): Si lo hubiera sabido, ahora no estaría aquí. — If I had known, I wouldn't be here now.
- debería haberlo dicho — the person changes (deberías, deberían), and so does the last word: dicho — said, hecho — done. Deberías haberlo dicho ayer. — You should have said it yesterday. Debería haberlo hecho hace un año. — I should have done it a year ago.
English helps here. These phrases match English "would have", "if I had known" and "should have": they're about the past, and it's too late to change it.
The trap: still possible or too late. Keep the two versions apart, just like in English: Me gustaría ir — I'd like to go (still possible). Me habría gustado ir — I would have liked to go (too late). The same with advice: deberías decirlo — you should say it (advice for now), but Deberías haberlo dicho — You should have said it (a reproach: it's too late).
Ya habrá llegado: a guess about something that has already happened (recognize only)
You already know that the future tense can be a guess about now: estará en casa — he's probably at home (unit 2).
This guess has a version about something that has already happened: ya habrá llegado — he's probably arrived by now. The speaker doesn't know for sure: they look at the clock and figure it out.
The phrase is easy to build: habrá (about several people, habrán) plus the same word as in ha llegado. You'll hear it most often with llegar and salir:
- Son las diez: Ana ya habrá llegado a casa. — It's ten o'clock: Ana has probably gotten home by now.
- Llámala ahora, ya habrá salido del trabajo. — Call her now, she's probably left work by now.
- No te preocupes por tus padres: ya habrán llegado al hotel. — Don't worry about your parents: they've probably gotten to the hotel by now.
- El paquete ya habrá llegado. — The package has probably arrived by now.
Compare three sentences:
| Spanish | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ha llegado. | He's arrived, and I know it. |
| Estará en casa. | He's probably at home: a guess about now. |
| Ya habrá llegado. | He's probably arrived by now: a guess about something already done. |
You only need to recognize this phrase. You can say the same thing with words you already know: seguramente ya ha llegado, a lo mejor ya ha llegado.
Don't read it as the future. Here ya habrá llegado doesn't mean "he will arrive", it means "he's probably arrived by now" or "he must have arrived". The clues: the word ya, and the fact that you're talking about today, not about plans.
Words in this unit
me habría gustado — I would have liked (to)
Me habría gustado ir contigo. — I would have liked to go with you.
si lo hubiera sabido — if I had known
Si lo hubiera sabido, no estaría aquí. — If I had known, I wouldn't be here.
debería haberlo dicho — I should have said it
Debería haberlo dicho antes. — I should have said it sooner.
ya habrá llegado — has probably arrived by now
Ana ya habrá llegado a casa. — Ana has probably gotten home by now.
la conciencia — conscience, awareness
Tengo la conciencia tranquila. — I have a clear conscience.
el arrepentimiento — regret, repentance
Siento un gran arrepentimiento. — I feel great regret.
el remordimiento — remorse, guilt
Tengo remordimientos. — I feel remorse.
echar la culpa — to blame
Siempre me echan la culpa a mí. — They always blame me.
quedarse con las ganas — to never get to do it, to miss out
Me quedé con las ganas de ir. — I really wanted to go, but I never got to.
dar marcha atrás — to back out, to back up
Ya es tarde para dar marcha atrás. — It's too late to back out now.
consciente — aware, conscious
Soy consciente de mi error. — I'm aware of my mistake.
la circunstancia — circumstance
Por las circunstancias no pude ir. — Because of the circumstances, I couldn't go.
abandonar — to abandon, to give up, to leave
Abandonó la carrera en segundo. — He dropped out of college in his second year.
impedir — to prevent, to stop
Nada me impide viajar. — Nothing is stopping me from traveling.
optar — to choose, to opt
Optamos por el tren. — We chose the train.
partir — to leave, to cut, to split
El tren parte a las ocho. — The train departs at eight.
el remedio — remedy, way out
Ya no hay remedio. — There's nothing to be done now.
la crisis — crisis
Tuvo una crisis personal. — He had a personal crisis.
la juventud — youth
En mi juventud viajé mucho. — In my youth, I traveled a lot.
la década — decade
Vivo aquí desde hace una década. — I've lived here for a decade.
la vejez — old age
Quiero una vejez tranquila. — I want a peaceful old age.
el alma — soul
Tiene un alma muy buena. — He has a very kind soul.
el disgusto — upset, unpleasantness
Ayer me llevé un disgusto. — I got really upset yesterday.
desaprovechar — to waste, to miss (a chance)
No quiero desaprovechar esta oportunidad. — I don't want to waste this opportunity.
el dilema — dilemma
Tengo un dilema. — I have a dilemma.
el impulso — impulse, urge
Actué por impulso. — I acted on impulse.
el instinto — instinct, gut feeling
Sigue tu instinto. — Follow your instincts.
el obstáculo — obstacle
Es un obstáculo grande. — It's a big obstacle.
el atajo — shortcut
Tomamos un atajo por el parque. — We took a shortcut through the park.
el sacrificio — sacrifice
Estudiar así es un sacrificio. — Studying like this is a sacrifice.
la valentía — courage, bravery
Hace falta valentía para cambiar. — It takes courage to change.
retroceder — to move back, to back down
El coche retrocede despacio. — The car is slowly backing up.
rectificar — to correct, to set right
Rectificó su error a tiempo. — He corrected his mistake in time.
doloroso — painful
Fue una decisión dolorosa. — It was a painful decision.
amargo — bitter
El café está amargo. — The coffee is bitter.
ingenuo — naive
Fui muy ingenua. — I was very naive (woman speaking).
sabio — wise
Mi abuela es muy sabia. — My grandmother is very wise.
inmóvil — motionless, still
Me quedé inmóvil. — I froze on the spot.
irreversible — irreversible
La decisión es irreversible. — The decision is irreversible.
el nudo — knot, lump
Tengo un nudo en la garganta. — I have a lump in my throat.
añorar — to long for, to miss
Añoro mi casa de la infancia. — I long for my childhood home.
vacilar — to hesitate
No vaciles tanto. — Don't hesitate so much.
paralizar — to paralyze
El miedo me paraliza. — Fear paralyzes me.
el instante — instant, moment
Espera un instante, por favor. — Wait just a second, please.
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