Meaning
This grammar pattern expresses a concessive condition about something that has already happened, conveying feelings of resentment, anger, dissatisfaction, reproach, or regret. It is similar in meaning to 「のに」or 「けれども」— "if only ~ had been the case" or "it would have been fine if ~, but..."
Formation
| Part of speech | Formation |
|---|---|
| Verb (plain form) | ものを |
| い-adjective | ものを |
| な-adjective | なものを |
Examples
-
昨日、早く寝ておけばよかったものを、夜更かしししせいで学校に遅刻してしまった。
If only I had gone to bed early last night — instead, I stayed up late and ended up being late for school. -
本来素直に謝れば済むものを、不正を隠蔽しデータを改ざんしたことで事態が大きくなった。
It would have been fine if they had simply apologized sincerely, but by covering up the wrongdoing and falsifying data, the situation escalated. -
A:お母さん、宿題が終わらない！どうしよう！B:夏休みになってすぐ取りかかればよかったものを、なまけるから、新学期の前日になってあわてるんでしょう！
A: Mom, I can't finish my homework! What should I do? B: If you had started right when summer break began, you wouldn't be in this mess! You were too lazy, and now you're panicking the day before school starts! -
彼は胃の調子が悪いので今日は休みです。あんなに食べ過ぎなければよかったものを。
He's off today because his stomach is upset. If only he hadn't eaten so much.
Summary
- 「〜ものを」means "if only ~; I wish ~ had happened"
- Attaches to verbs (plain form), い-adjectives, and な-adjectives