Using Wish




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.)







atrash
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."
Domingo
The first form : I wish I were, is a formal english. The second one is common. Incorrect, but very used
Ami
i wish i stay longer in The Bahamas. it is so beautiful.I wish I could stay longer in The Bahamas.
abdessamad
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 ,
GINNY
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)

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