Meaning
Regret about something one did not do: もっと勉強すればよかった (I should have studied more). Negative: 言わなければよかった (I shouldn't have said it).
Formation
- Vば + よかった: 起きればよかった
- Group 1: u → e + ば: 言えば; する → すれば, 来る → 来れば
- Negative regret: Vなければよかった
- 〜たらよかった is a more casual variant
When to use it
- Core use
- I should have …
Example
もっと早く起きればよかったです
I should have got up earlier.
Important notes
- Pay attention to the word form before the construction and to the particles around it.
Common mistakes
- Do not translate the pattern word for word; first identify its function in the whole situation.