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German Phrase

Ich bereue meine Entscheidung.

/ɪç bəˈʁɔʏ̯ə ˈmaɪ̯nə ɛntˈʃaɪ̯dʊŋ/
Meaning"I regret my decision."
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Meaning

Literally, 'I regret my decision.' It expresses personal remorse about a choice that has already been made, often after seeing its consequences.

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When to use

Use this phrase when you want to admit that a past choice turned out poorly and you feel sorry about it. It works in both informal conversations and more reflective, formal contexts.

✦Grammar Breakdown

IchbereuemeineEntscheidung

1

Personalpronomen (Ich)

Subject pronoun 'Ich' means 'I' and is used as the sentence's subject.

2

Verb 'bereuen' (Präsens)

'bereuen' means 'to regret'. In the present tense, the 1st person singular form is 'bereue' (stem change: e → eu).

3

Possessivartikel (meine)

'meine' is the feminine singular possessive article matching the noun 'Entscheidung'.

4

Femininum Nomen (Entscheidung)

'Entscheidung' is a feminine noun meaning 'decision' or 'choice'.

🗨In Conversation

A

Wie fühlst du dich nach dem Meeting?

How do you feel after the meeting?

Ich bereue meine Entscheidung, das Projekt nicht weiterzuverfolgen.

I regret my decision not to continue the project.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Ich bereite meine Entscheidung.

    ‘bereite’ is the present tense of ‘vorbereiten’ (to prepare), not ‘bereuen’ (to regret).

  • Ich bereue mein Entscheidung.

    The noun ‘Entscheidung’ is feminine, so the possessive article must be ‘meine’, not ‘mein’.

  • Ich bereue meine Entscheidungen.

    If you keep the singular verb ‘bereue’, the object must stay singular; use ‘Entscheidungen’ only with a plural verb.

↔Alternatives

  • Ich bereue meine Wahl.

    I regret my choice.

  • Ich bedaure meine Entscheidung.

    I lament my decision.

  • Ich habe meine Entscheidung bereut.

    I have regretted my decision.

de

Cultural Tip

In German, openly expressing regret is seen as taking responsibility, which is appreciated in both personal and professional settings. However, avoid overusing it; Germans value forward‑looking solutions more than lingering on past mistakes.