-(으)ㄹ 걸 그랬다

Build it

When to use it

Attachment is the standard rule with the ㄹ short form: 만들다 gives 만들 걸 그랬어요. 걸 is a contraction of 것을, so it takes a space.

It says you wish you had chosen otherwise: 우산을 가져올 걸 그랬어요. The regret is about your own action — you cannot use it to say what somebody else should have done.

For regret about something you did do, negate the first verb: 그렇게 많이 먹지 말 걸 그랬어요. Note that the negative uses 말다, as prohibitions do.

In casual speech it shortens to -(으)ㄹ걸, often muttered to yourself: 갈걸. Here it is written joined.

How to attach it

In use

1. 비가 오네요. 우산을 가져올 걸 그랬어요.

   It’s raining. I should have brought an umbrella.

2. 그렇게 많이 먹지 말 걸 그랬어요.

   I shouldn’t have eaten so much.

3. 어제 일찍 잘 걸 그랬어요.

   I should have gone to bed early yesterday.

4. 집에서 만들 걸 그랬어요. 밖은 너무 비싸요.

   I should have made it at home — eating out is so expensive.

5. 그때 물어볼 걸 그랬어요.

   I should have asked at the time.

6. 아, 그냥 살걸.

   Ah, I should’ve just bought it.

Compared with

• -았/었어야 했다

  -았/었어야 했다 states an obligation you failed to meet and can apply to anyone. -(으)ㄹ 걸 그랬다 is a personal wish about your own choice, and sounds softer.

  일찍 잘 걸 그랬어요. (I wish I had)  /  일찍 잤어야 했어요. (I ought to have)

• -는 게 좋겠다

  Advice looks forward; this ending looks back. The same situation gives one before the fact and the other after.

  우산을 가져가는 게 좋겠어요. (before)  /  가져올 걸 그랬어요. (after)

• -지 말 걸 그랬다

  The negative half. Use it when the regret is about something you actually did, and note that it is built on 말다 rather than 않다.

  갈 걸 그랬어요. (should have gone)  /  가지 말 걸 그랬어요. (shouldn’t have gone)

Watch out

• 집에서 만들을 걸 그랬어요.

  집에서 만들 걸 그랬어요.

  A stem ending in ㄹ already supplies it, as with 만들 거예요 and 만들 테니까.

• 그 사람이 일찍 올 걸 그랬어요.

  그 사람이 일찍 왔으면 좋았을 텐데요.

  This ending only expresses regret about your own choices. For someone else, use a wish construction instead.

• 많이 먹지 않을 걸 그랬어요.

  많이 먹지 말 걸 그랬어요.

  The negative here is built on 말다, as with -지 마세요 and -지 말자.

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