Hindsight is 20/20: รู้อย่างนี้
When you realize you made a bad decision and want to express "If I had known this..." or "I should have...", you can use the discourse marker รู้อย่างนี้ at the beginning of your sentence. It translates literally to "know like this" and is the standard way to express bitter hindsight in Thai.
Home renovations are a classic source of regret, such as paying for expensive built-in furniture (บิวท์อิน).
| If I had known this, I would not have done the built-in furniture. | รู้อย่างนี้ ฉัน ไม่ ทำ บิวท์อิน หรอก ค่ะ |
The Short Form: รู้งี้
In casual, spoken Thai, รู้อย่างนี้ is heavily contracted to รู้งี้. You will hear this constantly when people lament their choices.
For instance, you might realize too late that you should have just hired an interior designer (อินทีเรีย).
| If I had known, it would have been better to just hire an interior designer. | รู้งี้ จ้าง อินทีเรีย เลย จะ ดีกว่า ครับ |
Contractor Nightmares
Renovation regrets usually involve contractors (ผู้รับเหมา). You might wish you had handled the labor costs (ค่าแรง) yourself rather than letting someone abscond (เชิด) with the money, or regret hiring someone who does shoddy (ชุ่ย) work.
| If I had known this, I should have paid the labor cost myself. | รู้อย่างนี้ ผม จ่าย ค่าแรง ด้วยตัวเอง ดีกว่า ครับ |
| If I had known, I wouldn't have hired a contractor who works this shoddily. | รู้งี้ ไม่ จ้าง ผู้รับเหมา ที่ ทำงาน ชุ่ย ขนาดนี้ หรอก ค่ะ |
Hidden Defects and Broken Contracts
Dishonest craftsmen (ช่าง) might try to conceal defects (หมกเม็ด) in their work or default on (เบี้ยว) their agreements. You might not notice something like a cracked (ร้าว) wall until it is too late.
| If I had known this, I should have checked the cracked wall since the first day. | รู้อย่างนี้ ฉัน ตรวจสอบ ผนัง ร้าว ตั้งแต่ วัน แรก ค่ะ |