In this mini episode, you will learn the mysterious expression “If only.”
Episode 299 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you the mysterious expression “If only.” Send your questions about English and your suggestions for future episodes to EverybodyESL@gmail.com! (And let me know if you’d like to record the introduction to a future episode.)
Intro
“Hello there! This is Dieredieufe Serigne Touba from Senegal, West Africa. You are listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 299 of Everybody ESL, the podcast for everybody who wants to improve their English, practice their English, or just learn more English. My name is Ben, and I have a mini episode for you today, where I am going to teach you about one English topic. You can subscribe to the Everybody ESL podcast at Apple podcasts, on the Stitcher app, and wherever you find your podcasts. If you like Everybody ESL, leave it a good review so other people can find out about it too. And if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for me, please send an email to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. Okay! Let’s get on with this mini episode.
The episode
In this episode, I am going to teach you a strange and useful construction. And this construction is “If only.” If only. That’s i-f, o-n-l-y. If only.
The reason I think this is strange is because these two words by themselves don’t really mean anything. But we can use this expression all by itself as though it is a complete sentence or a complete thought.
What does it mean when we say, “If only”?
“If only” is a way of expressing a wish or some kind of regret. It expresses a wish or regret or a similar kind of feeling.
First, let me give you an example of a situation where we might use this phrase, and then I will try to explain how this phrase means what it means.
Let’s say you and your friend were very excited about going to an outdoor concert. You had been looking forward to this concert for weeks. But then, on the day of the concert, it rained, and the concert was canceled. You couldn’t go to the concert, and you and your friend were very disappointed. Your friend says to you, “Oh! Everything would have been great if it just hadn’t rained.”
And you answer, “If only.” If only. Your answer does not look like a complete sentence or a complete thought, but it works as though it is a complete sentence or a complete thought. When you say, “If only,” what you’re really saying is something like, “If only that one thing was different, everything would’ve been good.” Or “If only thatwas true, I would’ve been happy.” Or “If only that one thing happened, things would’ve been better.”
So it’s expressing a certain kind of wish or regret or sadness or a desire that things had been different. So if your friend says, “Oh, if it hadn’t rained, everything would’ve been great,” and you say, “If only,” you are saying, “Yes. I wish that only that one thing was different. I also wish that it had not rained. Because if it had not rained, then I would have been happy, or things would’ve been good, or things would have worked out.”
Or imagine that your friend is disappointed because he did not get a job that he really wanted. And your friend is complaining about this and telling you that he is disappointed and unhappy with the result of his job interview. And he says, “Oh! It would have been so great if I could have gotten that job.” And you reply, “If only.” Yes. If only that thing had happened, then things would’ve been better. Or then you would have been happy. Or then things would be good. Or something like that.
So you can see that “If only” is a way of expressing sadness, regret, disappointment, or some kind of wish that things were different.
And that is “If only,” a very strange and useful expression that I think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 299 of Everybody ESL. You can contact me at EverybodyESL@gmail.com if you have questions about English, if you have suggestions for me, if you’re interested in private lessons, or if you would like to record an introduction that I can play at the beginning of future episodes—the same way Dieredieufe recorded the introduction you heard at the beginning of this episode. I’ll be back soon with a new episode, and until then, keep going, keep practicing, and keep learning. I’ll see you soon! Goodbye!