The verb “wish” expresses a desire for a situation that doesn’t exist now.
1. Wish + Simple Past
We use “wish” + simple past to express that we want a situation in the present (or future) to be different.
Examples:
“I wish I lived in Spain” – Right now this person does not live in Spain but would like to in the present.
“He wishes he had a Lambourghini” – Right now this person does not have a Lambourghini but want one in the present.
“They wish it was June” – Right now it’s May and they still have to wait a month to go on holiday in the future.
“I wish I lived in Spain” – Right now this person does not live in Spain but would like to in the present.
“He wishes he had a Lambourghini” – Right now this person does not have a Lambourghini but want one in the present.
“They wish it was June” – Right now it’s May and they still have to wait a month to go on holiday in the future.
2. Wish + Past Continuous
We use “wish” + past continuous to express that we want to be doing a different activity in the present (or the future).
Examples:
“I wish I was eating Spanish food in Barcelona” – Right now this person is in the office, they would like to be in Spain, eating tapas, in the present.
“He wishes he was driving a Lambourghini in Paris” – Right now this person is also in an office, they want to be driving, in the present.
“They wish they were leaving tomorrow to go on holiday” – They aren’t going on holiday, in the future, but would like to.
“I wish I was eating Spanish food in Barcelona” – Right now this person is in the office, they would like to be in Spain, eating tapas, in the present.
“He wishes he was driving a Lambourghini in Paris” – Right now this person is also in an office, they want to be driving, in the present.
“They wish they were leaving tomorrow to go on holiday” – They aren’t going on holiday, in the future, but would like to.
3. Wish + Past Perfect
We use “wish” + past perfect to express regret. This means we want to be able to change a situation in the past.
Examples:
“I wish I hadn’t eaten so much chocolate” – This person ate too much chocolate, feels sick and would like to go back to the past and change it.
“He wishes his Dad had bought him a Lambourghini for his birthday” – This person would have liked a car for his birthday, in the past.
“They wish they had studied more for their exam” – They didn’t study and now would like to go back and study more.
“I wish I hadn’t eaten so much chocolate” – This person ate too much chocolate, feels sick and would like to go back to the past and change it.
“He wishes his Dad had bought him a Lambourghini for his birthday” – This person would have liked a car for his birthday, in the past.
“They wish they had studied more for their exam” – They didn’t study and now would like to go back and study more.
4. Wish + Would
We use “wish” + would + infinitive to express dissatisfaction with the present situation.
Examples:
“I wish you would stop making so much noise” – The person wants the other to stop making noise.
“He wishes his dog would behave” – The dog is barking and he wants it to stop.
“I wish you would stop making so much noise” – The person wants the other to stop making noise.
“He wishes his dog would behave” – The dog is barking and he wants it to stop.
We can also use “wish” to express “want” in a formal situation, for example, we can say “I wish to talk to the headmaster”. We do this by saying “wish” + infinitive.
Finally, we can use subject + wish + someone as a fixed expression to congratulate them or desire them well. For example: “We wish you a Merry Christmas”, “My parents wish you a Happy Birthday”, “I wish you good luck in your new job”, “She wishes her sister the best of happiness”.
Taken from ABC TEACHER'S BLOG
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