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Agata Sobieraj

Agata Sobieraj

Language Tutor/Translator

Foreign languages have always been my true passion which I devote myslef to every single day. Professionally, I work as a translator and interpreter, English language tutor and an author of language blog. Personally, I pursue my passions through travelling, reading and learning other foreign languages (Italian ♥)

Complaining is a Polish national trait, but does it only concern Poles? Turns out, the British like to complain too! How to do it in English? The grammar suggests three simple ways:

If only + Past Simple

We use it when we’re complaining about something that (e.g.) we can’t have now:

• If only I had more free time!
• If only I could speak Spanish!
• If only I didn't have to go to work today!

The grammar structure that you see above is part of the conditional type II. Even if we use Past Simple there, it refers to the present. For insiders, it is clear that such a sentence can be completed by supplementing it with the result clause: "would + verb_1".

Examples:

"If only I had more free time, I would watch that new series on Netflix!",

“If only I could speak Spanish, I would be able to make friends with Alejandro!”,

"If only I didn’t have to go to work today, I would sleep a little longer".

The good news is you don't have to do this. 'If only + Past Simple' alone is enough to complain 😊.

I wish + would / could:

We use this grammar construction when we don't like someone's behavior or habits and want them to change:

• I wish you would stop playing video games after midnight!
• I wish the government would do something with increasing inflation.
• I wish I could be more self-confident.

We must remember, though,  that the verbs "wish" and "would" cannot refer to the same person in the sentence. Therefore, in the last example, the verb "would" is replaced with "could".

Present Continuous

We talk about habits and routine in Present Simple, but if we want to express our annoyance with someone's repetitive behavior, we use Present Continuous:

• Steven is always coming too late for dinner!
• You’re always leaving your dirty shoes here!
• My grandma is continuously complaining about her health!

If we want to complain about someone’s habit irritating for us in the past, we'll use Past Continuous.

Compare:

"Peter often called me after midnight" - this sentence in Past Simple tells us about Peter's habit in the past.

"Peter was always calling me after midnight" - while this sentence is emotionally charged. This is how I inform the interlocutor that I did not like Peter's habit.

Hope you find this article useful and I wish you a nice week. Without a word of complaint! 😊