Placeholder Image

Subtitles section Play video

  • Do we use 'regret' with an 'ing' verb

  • or with 'to' plus infinitive?

  • Watch this video to find out - you won't regret it.

  • 'Regret' is a verb. It means

  • 'to feel bad about a past action or situation'.

  • We often use it to talk about mistakes

  • we have made and feel bad about.

  • It can be followed by a noun:

  • 'You'll regret that.'

  • Most commonly, we use 'regret' plus 'ing':

  • 'I regret staying up so late last night. Now I'm tired.'

  • 'Regret' plus 'to' plus infinitive

  • is only really used to make announcements

  • of bad news.

  • It's often found in formal letters, for example:

  • 'We regret to inform you that your job application

  • has not been successful.'

  • At a train station or airport they might announce:

  • 'We regret to inform you that the

  • 16:10 to Scotland has been cancelled.'

  • Well, I don't regret any of this

  • and I hope you don't regret

  • learning about 'regret'.

  • See you.

Do we use 'regret' with an 'ing' verb

Subtitles and vocabulary

Click the word to look it up Click the word to find further inforamtion about it