ばよかった (ba yokatta) Meaning Japanese Grammar - Should Have

Author Anna Baffa Volpe for article 'ばよかった (ba yokatta) Meaning Japanese Grammar - Should Have'

Anna Baffa Volpe

5 min reading time

Updated on 13 April 2023

ばよかった (ba yokatta) Meaning Japanese Grammar - Should Have

The expression ばよかった (ba yokatta) means should have done, it would have been better to.

We use the conditional form of the verb and the adjective ()い, fine, good in the past form.

In this post we learn more about the meaning of ばよかった, how it is formed and when ばよかった is used through real example sentences.


How ば()かった is formed

()かった is formed

  • by the conditional form of the verb expressed by the suffixes ば and れば
  • by the adjective ()い, an い Adjective meaning good, fine, excellent in the past form

⇨ If I had done it, it would have been better

⇨ I should have done that thing; It would have been better to do that

Verb in the B4 or Base in え+れば o ば+()かった

With the Ichidan Verbs the verb base is obtained by removing the syllable る and adding the suffix れば for the conditional form.

()める decide

()める
()
()
()めれば()かった

⇨ If you had decided, it would have been better

⇨ You should have decided

WIth the Godan Verbs we use the B4 or Base in "e " combined with the suffix ば.

()listen, ask

()
()
()
()けば()かった

⇨ You should have asked

Irregular verbs する and ()

With the irregular verbs する to do and ()to come the form becomes:

  • すれば()かった should have done
  • ()れば()かった should have come

For the conditional of the verb ()る:

くれば is the basic form of the standard language 標準語 hyōjungo, but it is also common the form これば of dialectal origin.

a
こうすればよかった: I should have done it this way

「こうすればよかった」「(しっ)(ぱい)したらどうしよう」という(おも)いに(とら)われてしまう(ひと)は?

What about people who are caught up in the thoughts: I should have done it this way and What can I do if I fail?

()かった expressing regret

A short Japanese sentence explaining ば良かった: 後悔している気持ちを表します。

(こう)(かい)している()()ちを(あらわ)します。

It expresses feelings of regret.

ば良かった expresses feelings of regret and repentance for something we could have done or should have done, for a decision we should have made in the past.

We find here the hypothetical phrase using the conjunction if and the conditional phrase.

昨日(きのう)(はや)(かえ)れば()かった。

I should have come home early yesterday.

⇨ If I had come home early yesterday, it would have been better.

Other short phrases to explain the expression: した方が良かったのにしなかった。

⇨ I should have done it, but I didn't.

するべきだった。

⇨ I should have done it.

I should not have

The form ば()かった is also used in the negative with the meaning of should not have done.

With the Ichidan Verbs: we add to the verb base the suffix of the negative conditional なければ.

()かける: get out

()かけなければ()かった。

I should not have gone out.

With the Godan Verbs we use the Negative base: B1 or Base in あ and the suffix なければ.

(ちゅう)()のコンピューターを()わなければ()かった。

I should never have bought a second-hand computer.

〜ば()かった and 〜たら()かった

Premium

Complete access to all the material published in the past and published new every week. Many more audio resources: listen to original audio sentences and dialogues with captions and explanations. Full dialogues to explain every grammar, word, or kanji in the details in a real Japanese context.

Support the website

Our supporters have access to extra explanations, examples, audio, and more 🙏🏼

Support us to unlock

Examples of ば()かった

(がく)(せい)のときに、もっと(すう)(がく)(べん)(きょう)しておけばよかった。

I should have studied more mathematics when I was a student.

A commonly used form in Japanese: ておく.

て form of the verb + おく to express an action that takes place beforehand, in advance to facilitate future developments.

In the case of the sentence: I should have studied mathematics when I was a student and I would have benefited today.

I should have said that at the time.
あの(とき): at the time

あの(とき)ああ()ってやればよかった。

I should have said that at the time.

Newsletter

Learn something new Every Week 🇯🇵

Every week new ideas and explanations about the Japanese Language, sent directly to your inbox 📧