A wish describes the situation you would like, while a regret imagines a different past. You will use keşke for both and identify what really happened from the context.
The idea
With keşke, a verb in the -se / -sa mood can form a complete wish: Keşke odam daha aydınlık olsa. No result clause is needed. For regret about a finished event, use a form such as arasaydım or atmasaydık. A positive regret imagines an action that did not happen; a negative one wishes an actual action had not happened. The verb ending identifies the person doing that action, not necessarily the speaker.
Examples
- Keşke yarın kar yağsa.If only it would snow tomorrow.
- Keşke dün seni arasaydım.I wish I had called you yesterday.
- Keşke o kutuyu atmasaydık.I wish we had not thrown that box away.
- Keşke odam daha aydınlık olsa.I wish my room were brighter.
- Keşke şu an yanımda olsaydın.I wish you were beside me right now.
- Keşke bu kadar acele etmeseydim.I wish I had not rushed so much.
- Keşke hafta sonu birlikte yemek yapsak.It would be lovely if we cooked together at the weekend.
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Watch out
Do not read every -seydi / -saydı form as past time. In Keşke şu an yanımda olsaydın, şu an fixes the wish in the present; the form stresses a situation contrary to reality. Olsan also works here. For a past event, look for context such as dün, not just the ending.
Try it yourself
Choose the verb for a wish about tomorrow: Keşke yarın kar ___. (yağsa / yağdı)
Show answer or example answer
yağsa
yağsa: the speaker wants snow tomorrow. Yağdı reports that snow fell; it cannot express this wish.
I did not call you yesterday. Complete the regret: Keşke dün seni ___. (arasam / arasaydım)
Show answer or example answer
arasaydım
arasaydım: the call did not happen yesterday. The positive wish imagines making it, and the final -m refers to the caller, “I”.
We threw that box away yesterday and regret it. Complete: Keşke o kutuyu ___. (atsaydık / atmasaydık)
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atmasaydık
atmasaydık: the box was thrown away. The desired alternative is not throwing it away, so the regret is negative; the ending refers to “we”.
You are far away now. Complete the wish about now; either option may work: Keşke şu an yanımda ___. (olsan / olsaydın)
Show answer or example answer
olsan / olsaydın
olsan / olsaydın: both can wish for your presence now. The second puts more emphasis on the unreal situation; şu an prevents a past-time reading here.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Choose the verb for a wish about tomorrow: Keşke yarın kar ___. (yağsa / yağdı)
I did not call you yesterday. Complete the regret: Keşke dün seni ___. (arasam / arasaydım)
We threw that box away yesterday and regret it. Complete: Keşke o kutuyu ___. (atsaydık / atmasaydık)
You are far away now. Complete the wish about now; either option may work: Keşke şu an yanımda ___. (olsan / olsaydın)
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
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Write a wish for tomorrow and a regret about yesterday. Then add a plain sentence stating the real situation behind each one. Check who would perform the wished-for action.