ば良かった
Should have, I wish, It would have been better to
Structure
Examples:
食べる ￫ 食べれば + よかった
飲む ￫ 飲めば + よかった
する ￫ すれば + よかった
Explanation
ばよかった is a phrase used to express regret about something that you did not do, but now wish you had. It is formed by combining the conditional particle ば with the past tense of the い-Adjective 良い (remember that いい conjugates using its older form, よい, which becomes よかった). This structure is most commonly translated as 'I should have done (A)' or 'if only I had done (A)'.
To use ばよかった, a verb must first be changed to its conditional ば form, after which よかった is attached.
- あ、雨が降ってきた。家を出る前に傘を持ってくればよかった。Oh, it's starting to rain. I should have brought an umbrella before leaving the house.
- このテスト、全然わからない。昨日の夜、もっと勉強すればよかった。I don't understand this test at all. I wish I had studied more last night.
Because the ば particle sets up a hypothetical condition, ばよかった can be literally understood as 'it would have been good if (A) had happened', with (A) being the action the speaker now regrets not taking.
Fun Fact
This grammar point's non-past counterpart is ばいい, which is used for giving suggestions, rather than expressing regret. It means something like 'you should just do (A)'.
- 分からないことがあったら、先生に聞けばいい。If there's something you don't understand, you can just ask the teacher.
Examples
雨が降ってきた。傘を持ってくれば良かった。
It started raining. I should have brought an umbrella.
ケーキをあんなにたくさん食べなければ良かった。
I shouldn't have eaten so much cake.
このレストランは満席だ。予約すれば良かった。
This restaurant is full. We should have made a reservation.
今日はこんなに寒いと思わなかった。もっと厚いジャケットを着てくれば良かった。
I didn't think it would be this cold today. I should have worn a thicker jacket.
道に迷ってしまった。彼の住所を聞いておけば良かった。
I've gotten lost. I should have asked for his address beforehand.
パーティーに来られないなら、電話すれば良かったのに。
If you couldn't come to the party, you should have called.
頭が痛い。昨日、ちゃんと薬を飲めば良かった。
My head hurts. I should have taken my medicine properly yesterday.
本当のことを正直に話せば良かったと後悔している。
I regret that I didn't just speak the truth honestly.
すごく眠い。昨日の夜、もっと早く寝れば良かった。
I'm so sleepy. I should have gone to bed earlier last night.
試験は思ったより難しかった。もっと勉強すれば良かったです。
The exam was harder than I thought. It would have been better if I had studied more.
このシャツ、すぐに汚れてしまった。違う色を買えば良かった。
This shirt got dirty right away. I should have bought a different color.
もっと安いホテルがたくさんあったのに。ネットでちゃんと調べれば良かった。
There were so many cheaper hotels. I should have checked properly online.