The pattern

"I should have" plus a past participle is a regret: the right thing, which you did not do. "I should have left earlier" means you didn't, and now you're late. It is honest and a little self-critical, which makes it a gentle way to accept blame. "I shouldn't have" works the other way: you did it, and it was a mistake.

In speech it shrinks to "should've", which sounds like "shoulda". Never write "should of"; it is a common spelling error because the sound is the same.

Say it out loud

Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.

  6. The negative regret: you did it and you wish you hadn't.

  8. Not a regret here. It means "it was amazing, you missed it."

  9. Said when something bad was predictable. A small sigh at yourself.

Check yourself

1"I should have left earlier" tells the listener that...
2Which spelling is correct?
3"You should have seen his face" usually means...

Practice · 3 min

Express a regret, then move on. Prompt on the left, one natural sentence on the right.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5

Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.