Expressing wishes using the simple past

What this form means (wish / regret)

You use the simple past (onvoltooid verleden tijd) to talk about:

• a wish that is not true now (imaginary situation)
• regret about something (that didn’t happen / went wrong)

It often includes maar. Here maar means: “if only…” (not “but”).

Core patterns you can copy

Step-by-step: choose the right verb

1. Is it about “being”? (a situation, state, identity)

   • was (singular): Was het al maar lente.
   • waren (plural): Waren we maar eerder thuis.

2. Is it about “having done something”? (a completed action you regret)

   • had (I/he/she): Had ik maar beter geluisterd.
   • hadden (we/you(pl)/they): Hadden we maar gewacht.

3. Is it about “could”?

   • Kon ik maar thuis werken.
   • Konden we maar online een afspraak maken.

4. Is it about “knowing”?

   • Wist ik maar hoe dit werkt.

Word order: where do “maar” and the subject go?

In this construction, you usually start with the verb. Then:

• Verb (past) + subject + maar + the rest

Tip: put maar directly after the subject for a clean, standard sentence.

If there is a “result”, use “dan …”

Often you add the consequence with dan (“then”).

• Wish/regret + dan + result

Pay attention: after dan the verb comes before the subject: dan kon ik…

Wish now vs regret about the past (common confusion)

English uses “had” for both. Dutch often makes the difference clearer:

Quick check: Can you add “yesterday / last week”? Then it’s often a regret → Had … maar + participle.

Self-check: 4 questions before you speak

1. Wish or regret?

2. State (was/waren) or action (had/hadden + participle)?

3. Did I put maar right after the subject?

4. Do I add a consequence with dan (and inversion: dan + verb + subject)?

Ready-to-use professional examples

• Had ik maar die e-mail eerder gelezen, dan had ik op tijd kunnen reageren.

• Wist ik maar wie dit dossier beheert.

• Kon ik maar even met de helpdesk bellen, dan was het vandaag nog opgelost.

• Was het maar al vrijdag, dan kon ik eindelijk uitrusten.