Learn German: Hätte ich das Original doch nur ersteigert! - If only I had bought the original at auction!

When expressing strong, unfulfilled wishes, you can drop the word Wenn (if). When you do this, the conjugated verb (Hätte) must move to the very first position in the sentence. You could also say: Wenn ich das Original doch nur ersteigert hätte! Both mean exactly the same thing.

Why does the sentence use hätte ... ersteigert?

This is the past tense of the Konjunktiv II. Because the chance to buy the original is already gone, you need a past-tense form to express an unfulfilled wish about the past. You build it by combining the Konjunktiv II helper verb (hätte) with the past participle at the end of the sentence (ersteigert).

The lesson mentions using nur or doch, but this sentence uses both. Why?

You can use either one on its own to express a wish, but combining doch and nur adds extra emotional weight. It makes your regret sound much stronger, similar to saying "If only I had just..." in English.

Why doesn't the past participle ersteigert start with ge-?