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Lesson 220 of 240

New here? This is lesson 220 of a free 240-lesson French course.

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If only in French

Gaspard is staring at the window table again, café crème untouched. He starts a thought about the past, then loses it.

Sam sits with him and does not push.

By the end, you'll wish out loud, name what you should have done, and hope it is not too late.

These lines look back. They are not ordinary if-then plans.

By the end of this lesson

Express a wish about the past, and what you should have done.

  • Si seulement j'avais su.If only I had known.
  • J'aurais dû poser plus de questions.I should have asked more questions.
  • Si c'était à refaire, je resterais.If I had it to do over, I'd stay.
  • J'aurais aimé arriver plus tôt.I wish I had arrived earlier.
  • Pourvu qu'il soit encore temps.Hopefully there's still time.
  • Quel dommage de ne pas avoir osé.What a shame I didn't dare.

Scene — the window table

Late morning at Café des Tilleuls. Sam sits with Gaspard at the table next to the window. The blank brass sign is still on the empty two-top.

Gaspard's café crème has gone cold. He looks at the window table, then loses the thread. Odile is at the zinc counter and does not interrupt.

Late morning at Café des Tilleuls, with Sam and Gaspard at a window-side table, an unused two-top holding a small brass rectangle, and Odile staying at the zinc counter.

Learn — if only and should have

Six lines cover wishes about the past: if only, should have, and a redo.

You'll also wish you had arrived earlier, hope there is still time, and name a dare you skipped.

  1. Gaspard in profile turned toward the unused window two-top, his café crème left cold on the saucer.

    Si seulement j'avais su.

    If only I had known.

    When to use it: Say this when you regret not knowing sooner.

    Si seulement plus a past form looks back at something you missed.

    Say it: The j' in j'avais is elision of je.

  2. Sam leans in at the table with open hands toward Gaspard, as if more questions went unasked.

    J'aurais dû poser plus de questions.

    I should have asked more questions.

    When to use it: Use this to admit you should have asked more at the time.

    J'aurais dû plus a verb names a duty you failed to do.

    Say it: The s in plus is silent before de.

  3. From above, Gaspard stays planted on two chairs at his table, with the unused two-top empty beside him.

    Si c'était à refaire, je resterais.

    If I had it to do over, I'd stay.

    When to use it: Say this when you would make the same choice if you started over.

    Si c'était à refaire names a redo; the second half is the choice you would make.

    Say it: C'était drops the e of ce before était.

  4. Sam stands just inside the café door, turned toward the unused two-top as if he had arrived too late.

    J'aurais aimé arriver plus tôt.

    I wish I had arrived earlier.

    When to use it: Use this to wish you had got there earlier than you did.

    J'aurais aimé plus a verb looks back at a wish that did not happen.

    Say it: The s in aurais links as z into aimé.

  5. From behind Odile at the zinc counter, she looks toward the unused two-top and stays behind the bar.

    Pourvu qu'il soit encore temps.

    Hopefully there's still time.

    When to use it: Say this when you hope it is not already too late.

    Pourvu que plus soit names a hope, not a fact you already know.

    Say it: Qu'il is elision of que before il.

  6. Gaspard's cold café crème sits untouched while his hand rests beside the saucer and does not reach for it.

    Quel dommage de ne pas avoir osé.

    What a shame I didn't dare.

    When to use it: Use this when you regret not daring to act.

    Ne pas avoir plus a past participle looks back at something you never did.

Story — he loses the thread

Watch Gaspard look at the window table and lose the thread. Sam stays kind and does not push.

The highlighted words are the lines you just learned. Turn on Show English if you need it.

  1. Gaspard looks at the empty window table. His café crème is cold.
  2. GaspardSi seulement j'avais su.If only I had known.
  3. SamTu aurais voulu savoir quoi ?What would you have wanted to know?
  4. GaspardC'est une longue histoire.It's a long story.
  5. Odile leans over from the zinc counter.
  6. OdileEncore un crème, mon grand ?Another café crème, dear?
  7. GaspardNon merci.No thanks.
  8. He taps the saucer and looks at Sam.
  9. GaspardJ'aurais dû poser plus de questions.I should have asked more questions.
  10. SamTu peux encore les poser.You can still ask them.
  11. GaspardJ'aurais aimé arriver plus tôt.I wish I had arrived earlier.
  12. SamEt maintenant ?And now?
  13. GaspardSi c'était à refaire, je resterais.If I had it to do over, I'd stay.
  14. SamTu es encore là.You're still here.
  15. He looks at the window table again, then loses the thread.
  16. GaspardAttends, où est-ce que j'en étais ?Wait, where was I?
  17. SamJe suis là si tu veux parler.I'm here if you want to talk.
  18. GaspardPourvu qu'il soit encore temps.Hopefully there's still time.
  19. SamOn a le temps.We've got time.
  20. GaspardQuel dommage de ne pas avoir osé.What a shame I didn't dare.
  21. SamCe n'est pas grave.That's okay.
  22. The window table stays empty. Gaspard does not sit there. The café crème stays unfinished.

Practice — a missed chance

Ten short exercises wait here. You'll listen, fill a gap, build a line, and swap a word.

They stay on the wish lines, so the round moves fast.

0 of 10 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. What does it mean?

    Pourvu qu'il soit encore temps.

  3. What do you say?

    You look back on a talk. You know you should have asked more at the time.

  4. Fill the gap

    I wish I had arrived earlier.

    J'aurais aimé arriver plus ____.

  5. Swap the word

    Gaspard looks back. If he had it to do over, he would stay.

    Si c'était à refaire, je ____.

  6. Build the line

    What a shame I didn't dare.

    .

    Tap the words in order.

  7. Pick the reply

    Gaspard says:

    Attends, où est-ce que j'en étais ?

    Wait, where was I?

    And you reply with:

  8. True or false?

    This line means the story is short.

  9. Match the pairs

    French

    Si seulement j'avais su.Drop the English here
    J'aurais dû poser plus de questions.Drop the English here
    Pourvu qu'il soit encore temps.Drop the English here

    English

    Drag an English line onto its French, or tap one and then the other.

  10. What do you say?

    You were telling a story and lost the thread. Check where you had got to.

Say it — say the wish

Now you're Sam at the table next to the window. When it's your turn, tap the microphone and speak the line.

Tap ▶ first if you want to hear the line. Your recording stays on your device.

  1. GaspardSi seulement j'avais su.If only I had known.
  2. Sam (you)Say you should have asked more questions.

    J'aurais dû poser plus de questions.

    I should have asked more questions.

0 of 5 said

Recap — what you can say now

FrenchEnglish
Si seulement j'avais su.If only I had known.
J'aurais dû poser plus de questions.I should have asked more questions.
Si c'était à refaire, je resterais.If I had it to do over, I'd stay.
J'aurais aimé arriver plus tôt.I wish I had arrived earlier.
Pourvu qu'il soit encore temps.Hopefully there's still time.
Quel dommage de ne pas avoir osé.What a shame I didn't dare.
Next: lesson 221Not what I expected

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A quick round with the Yak Cards each day keeps your past wishes ready to say.

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