English speakers use "wish" to show that they want a situation to be different. The verb after "wish" is one tense back, so that if you are wishing for a different present situation, the tense that follows "wish" is past simple or past continuous. If you are wishing that a past situation was different, the tense that comes after "wish" is past perfect. You can also use "wish" with modal verbs in English.
Wish and present situations
Situation: My sister is untidy. (Verb "to be" in the present simple)
Wish:I wish she was tidier. (Verb "to be" in past simple)
Situation: I am going to London next week. (Verb "to go" in present continuous)
Wish: "I wish I wasn't going to London next week." (Verb "to go" in past continuous)
Situation: I haven't studied for the English test. (Verb "to study" in present perfect)
Wish: "I wish I had studied for the English test." (Verb "to study" in past perfect)
Wish and past situations
Situation: I didn't go on holiday this year. (Verb "to go" is in past simple)
Wish: "I wish I had gone on holiday this year. (Verb "to go" is in past perfect.)
Wish with modal verbs
With could to refer to ability
Situation: I can't play a musical instrument.
Wish: "I wish I could play a musical instrument."
With would to refer to habits and free will
Situation: He whistles in the office.
Wish: I wish he wouldn't whistle in the office. (In this sentence you are stressing the fact he wants to whistle and makes a habit of it.)
You could also say: "I wish he didn't whistle in the office." (In this sentence you aren't stressing his desire to whistle, but you are just making a comment about a present situation.)
6 comments on “Using Wish”
with the verb wish sometimes we use the sentence:
i wish i were …… not:
i wish i was
so is that correct?
Yes. Strictly speaking, it's more grammatically correct to say "I wish I were". However, you will hear people saying "I wish I was."
The first form : I wish I were, is a formal english. The second one is common. Incorrect, but very used
i wish i stay longer in The Bahamas. it is so beautiful.
I wish I could stay longer in The Bahamas.
in english we usualy use wishs when some one want go to somewhere but it impossibe for him ,so in the same time or in the same way he say : i wish i was/were in london ,
can we use WISH for future tense?
like if i dont want something to happen in future
eg."i wish i dont get any letter tomorrow from my principle"
is it correct?
No: "I hope I won't get a letter tomorrow…"
or if i want something to happen in future
eg."i wish it rains tomorrow"
"I wish it would rain tomorrow."
When we wish for something different in a present situation, we use the past:
I wish I wasn't so tall. (But I am tall.)
When we wish that someone else would change in the future, we use would:
I wish you would listen to me! (But you don't)
When we wish that the past had been different, we use the past perfect:
I wish I had studied harder at school. (But I didn't)
Can we formally or in everyday language use the present simple after wish in English grammar?
See these examples:
I wish to see the Manager. (I want to see…)
I wish I could speak French. (But I can't)
I wish I was by the sea. (But I'm not)
We use wish to talk about situations that aren't real. For this reason, we don't use the present simple, but past tenses.