should have; wish I had — regret over what wasn't done
もっと早く寝ればよかった。
motto hayaku nereba yokatta.
I should have gone to bed earlier. casual
困ってたなら、言ってくれればよかったのに。
komatteta nara, itte kurereba yokatta noni.
If you were struggling, you could have just told me. casual
Variants
ばよかったのにbayokattanonicolloquial
aimed at someone else's missed chance — 言ってくれればよかったのに; carries a reproachful edge.
This pattern, conjugated
- politeばよかったですbayokattadesu
ばよかった
ばよかったba yokattaN4neutral