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fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M14.234 10.162L22.977 0h-2.072l-7.591 8.824L7.251 0H.258l9.168 13.343L.258 24H2.33l8.016-9.318L16.749 24h6.993zm-2.837 3.299l-.929-1.329L3.076 1.56h3.182l5.965 8.532l.929 1.329l7.754 11.09h-3.182z\"\u002F>",{"id":47,"title":48,"author":49,"body":50,"cefrLevel":805,"date":49,"description":806,"exercises":807,"extension":915,"faqs":916,"gcseTier":49,"intro":49,"language":929,"lastUpdated":49,"meta":930,"navigation":931,"path":932,"seo":933,"stem":934,"verbSlugs":49,"__hash__":935},"pages\u002Fenglish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fwish-and-if-only.md","Wish and if only in English: wish + past, wish + past perfect, wish + would, and why I wish I would is wrong",null,{"type":51,"value":52,"toc":792},"minimark",[53,78,84,89,103,106,129,132,136,139,209,220,249,253,256,309,320,335,339,346,349,372,375,397,418,439,443,449,469,476,480,493,513,532,536,539,594,617,632,636,639,740,744,747,780],[54,55,56,60,61,64,65,70,71,74,75,77],"p",{},[57,58,59],"em",{},"Wish"," is a conditional sentence with the ",[57,62,63],{},"if"," taken off. Everything you already\nknow about the\n",[66,67,69],"a",{"href":68},"\u002Fenglish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fconditional-sentences","second and third conditionals"," applies\nhere unchanged: one step back into the past for something that is not true now,\ntwo steps back for something that was not true then. The verb ",[57,72,73],{},"wish"," simply\nsupplies the feeling that ",[57,76,63],{}," leaves out.",[54,79,80,81,83],{},"Which means the hard part is not the pattern. It is accepting, once and\nproperly, that the past tense after ",[57,82,73],{}," has nothing to do with past time.",[85,86,88],"h2",{"id":87},"the-past-tense-is-distance-not-time","The past tense is distance, not time",[54,90,91,94,95,98,99,102],{},[57,92,93],{},"I wish I had a car"," is about this morning. ",[57,96,97],{},"I wish I knew"," is about this\nsecond. Neither sentence looks backwards; both use a past tense because English\nmarks \"this is not real\" by stepping the verb back one notch. It is the same\nmachinery that gives you ",[57,100,101],{},"if I were you"," for advice about right now.",[54,104,105],{},"So the rule is not \"wish takes the past\". The rule is:",[107,108,109,120],"ul",{},[110,111,112,116,117],"li",{},[113,114,115],"strong",{},"one step back"," (past simple) for something untrue ",[113,118,119],{},"now",[110,121,122,125,126],{},[113,123,124],{},"two steps back"," (past perfect) for something untrue ",[113,127,128],{},"then",[54,130,131],{},"Everything below is that rule with examples attached.",[85,133,135],{"id":134},"wish-past-simple-an-unreal-present","Wish + past simple: an unreal present",[54,137,138],{},"Use it for a present situation you would like to be different. The situation is\nusually one you cannot change, or cannot change quickly.",[140,141,142,155],"table",{},[143,144,145],"thead",{},[146,147,148,152],"tr",{},[149,150,151],"th",{},"Sentence",[149,153,154],{},"What is actually true",[156,157,158,169,179,189,199],"tbody",{},[146,159,160,166],{},[161,162,163],"td",{},[57,164,165],{},"I wish I had more time.",[161,167,168],{},"I do not have more time.",[146,170,171,176],{},[161,172,173],{},[57,174,175],{},"I wish I knew her name.",[161,177,178],{},"I do not know it.",[146,180,181,186],{},[161,182,183],{},[57,184,185],{},"I wish he lived nearer.",[161,187,188],{},"He lives far away.",[146,190,191,196],{},[161,192,193],{},[57,194,195],{},"I wish it weren't so cold.",[161,197,198],{},"It is cold.",[146,200,201,206],{},[161,202,203],{},[57,204,205],{},"She wishes she had a garden.",[161,207,208],{},"She has no garden.",[54,210,211,212,215,216,219],{},"Note the flip: the wish is positive when the fact is negative, and negative when\nthe fact is positive. Learners often say ",[57,213,214],{},"I wish I don't have to work",", which\ntries to keep the negative in both halves. It is ",[57,217,218],{},"I wish I didn't have to work",".",[54,221,222,223,226,227,230,231,233,234,237,238,241,242,245,246,248],{},"With ",[57,224,225],{},"be",", careful English uses ",[113,228,229],{},"were"," for every subject after ",[57,232,73],{},", exactly\nas in the second conditional: ",[57,235,236],{},"I wish I were taller",", ",[57,239,240],{},"I wish she were here",".\n",[57,243,244],{},"I wish I was"," is everywhere in speech and nobody will misunderstand you, but\n",[57,247,229],{}," is the form for writing and exams.",[85,250,252],{"id":251},"wish-past-perfect-a-regret-about-the-past","Wish + past perfect: a regret about the past",[54,254,255],{},"Use it when the thing you would change already happened. This is the\ngrammatical home of regret, and it maps one to one onto the third conditional.",[140,257,258,267],{},[143,259,260],{},[146,261,262,264],{},[149,263,151],{},[149,265,266],{},"What actually happened",[156,268,269,279,289,299],{},[146,270,271,276],{},[161,272,273],{},[57,274,275],{},"I wish I had listened to you.",[161,277,278],{},"I did not listen.",[146,280,281,286],{},[161,282,283],{},[57,284,285],{},"I wish I hadn't sold the house.",[161,287,288],{},"I sold it.",[146,290,291,296],{},[161,292,293],{},[57,294,295],{},"I wish she had told me earlier.",[161,297,298],{},"She told me late.",[146,300,301,306],{},[161,302,303],{},[57,304,305],{},"He wishes he had studied harder.",[161,307,308],{},"He did not study hard.",[54,310,311,312,315,316,319],{},"The two-step is the whole signal. ",[57,313,314],{},"I wish I studied harder"," means \"I would like\nmy current study habits to be better\"; ",[57,317,318],{},"I wish I had studied harder"," means \"the\nexam is over and I did badly\". Learners collapse these constantly, and the\ncollapse changes the meaning rather than merely sounding odd.",[54,321,322,323,327,328,331,332,219],{},"If you want to spell out the consequence you are still living with, hand the\njob over to a\n",[66,324,326],{"href":325},"\u002Fenglish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fmixed-conditionals","mixed conditional",": ",[57,329,330],{},"I wish I had studied\nharder"," becomes ",[57,333,334],{},"if I had studied harder, I would have a better job now",[85,336,338],{"id":337},"wish-would-complaining-about-other-people","Wish + would: complaining about other people",[54,340,341,342,345],{},"This is the pattern that deserves its own section, because it is the one nobody\nexplains properly. ",[57,343,344],{},"Wish + would"," is not a third time frame. It is a complaint.",[54,347,348],{},"You use it when somebody else does something annoying, repeatedly, and could\nstop if they wanted to.",[107,350,351,356,361,366],{},[110,352,353],{},[57,354,355],{},"I wish you would stop shouting.",[110,357,358],{},[57,359,360],{},"I wish he would answer his phone.",[110,362,363],{},[57,364,365],{},"I wish they wouldn't park across my gate.",[110,367,368,371],{},[57,369,370],{},"I wish it would stop raining."," (the weather gets treated as a stubborn\nperson, which is very English)",[54,373,374],{},"Three things follow from \"it is a complaint\", and they explain every restriction\non the pattern.",[54,376,377,384,385,388,389,392,393,396],{},[113,378,379,380,383],{},"First: the subject of ",[57,381,382],{},"would"," must be somebody other than you."," ",[57,386,387],{},"I wish I\nwould stop shouting"," is wrong, and it is wrong for a reason worth stating\nplainly: you cannot complain to yourself about a choice you are the one making.\nIf your own behaviour is the problem, English gives you other tools: ",[57,390,391],{},"I wish I\ncould stop shouting"," (it is beyond my control) or ",[57,394,395],{},"I should stop shouting"," (it\nis within it).",[54,398,399,384,402,405,406,409,410,413,414,417],{},[113,400,401],{},"Second: the thing must be changeable.",[57,403,404],{},"I wish she would be taller"," is\nnonsense, because nobody chooses their height. For an unchangeable state you\nneed the ordinary pattern: ",[57,407,408],{},"I wish she were taller",". This is why ",[57,411,412],{},"I wish it\nwould be sunny tomorrow"," sounds wrong to a native ear while ",[57,415,416],{},"I wish it would\nstop raining"," sounds fine: stopping is an action, being sunny is a state.",[54,419,420,384,423,425,426,237,429,237,432,435,436,219],{},[113,421,422],{},"Third: it points forwards.",[57,424,344],{}," asks for the future to be\ndifferent, which is why it pairs so naturally with ",[57,427,428],{},"stop",[57,430,431],{},"start",[57,433,434],{},"hurry up","\nand ",[57,437,438],{},"call me back",[85,440,442],{"id":441},"wish-could","Wish + could",[54,444,445,448],{},[57,446,447],{},"Could"," covers ability and permission, and slots in wherever the obstacle is not\na person's stubbornness but a genuine limit.",[107,450,451,457,463],{},[110,452,453,456],{},[57,454,455],{},"I wish I could swim."," (I never learned)",[110,458,459,462],{},[57,460,461],{},"I wish I could come tonight."," (I have to work)",[110,464,465,468],{},[57,466,467],{},"I wish I could help."," (I have nothing to offer)",[54,470,471,472,475],{},"This is the correct home for the \"I wish I would\" impulse. Nine times out of\nten, the sentence a learner is reaching for is a ",[57,473,474],{},"wish + could"," sentence.",[85,477,479],{"id":478},"if-only-the-same-grammar-louder","If only: the same grammar, louder",[54,481,482,485,486,488,489,492],{},[57,483,484],{},"If only"," takes exactly the tenses ",[57,487,73],{}," takes. The difference is force: ",[57,490,491],{},"if\nonly"," is more emotional, more literary, and more likely to end in an\nexclamation mark.",[107,494,495,501,507],{},[110,496,497,500],{},[57,498,499],{},"If only I knew!"," (unreal present)",[110,502,503,506],{},[57,504,505],{},"If only I had known!"," (regret)",[110,508,509,512],{},[57,510,511],{},"If only he would listen!"," (complaint)",[54,514,515,516,518,519,522,523,526,527,327,529,219],{},"It can stand alone as a complete sentence, which ",[57,517,73],{}," cannot: you can say ",[57,520,521],{},"if\nonly!"," and stop, but not ",[57,524,525],{},"I wish!"," in the same way. It can also take a full\nresult clause, at which point it is simply an emphatic ",[57,528,63],{},[57,530,531],{},"if only I had\nknown, I would have come",[85,533,535],{"id":534},"wish-and-hope-are-not-the-same-word","Wish and hope are not the same word",[54,537,538],{},"The line is possibility.",[140,540,541,557],{},[143,542,543],{},[146,544,545,548,551,554],{},[149,546,547],{},"Use",[149,549,550],{},"When",[149,552,553],{},"Tense",[149,555,556],{},"Example",[156,558,559,577],{},[146,560,561,566,569,572],{},[161,562,563],{},[57,564,565],{},"hope",[161,567,568],{},"it might still happen",[161,570,571],{},"present or future",[161,573,574],{},[57,575,576],{},"I hope you get the job.",[146,578,579,583,586,589],{},[161,580,581],{},[57,582,73],{},[161,584,585],{},"it is not true and probably won't be",[161,587,588],{},"past step back",[161,590,591],{},[57,592,593],{},"I wish I had your job.",[54,595,596,599,600,603,604,606,607,237,610,237,613,616],{},[57,597,598],{},"I wish you get the job"," is wrong; it should be ",[57,601,602],{},"I hope you get the job",". The\none place ",[57,605,73],{}," takes a plain object and no past tense is the set of fixed\npoliteness formulas, where it means \"offer as a wish\": ",[57,608,609],{},"I wish you a safe\njourney",[57,611,612],{},"we wish you a happy new year",[57,614,615],{},"I wish you well",". Two objects, no\nclause, no back-step. Treat those as vocabulary rather than grammar.",[54,618,619,620,623,624,627,628,631],{},"There is also the formal ",[57,621,622],{},"wish to",", which just means ",[57,625,626],{},"want to"," and is a\ndifferent word again: ",[57,629,630],{},"I wish to make a complaint."," You will meet it in letters\nand airports and almost nowhere else.",[85,633,635],{"id":634},"common-mistakes","Common mistakes",[54,637,638],{},"Ranked by how often learners actually make them.",[640,641,642,659,679,695,708,725],"ol",{},[110,643,644,384,649,652,653,655,656,658],{},[113,645,646,647,219],{},"Using a present tense after ",[57,648,73],{},[57,650,651],{},"I wish I have more time"," should be\n",[57,654,165],{}," If the verb after ",[57,657,73],{}," is not one step back, the\nsentence is not finished.",[110,660,661,384,670,652,673,676,677,219],{},[113,662,663,664,666,667,669],{},"Using ",[57,665,73],{}," where ",[57,668,565],{}," belongs.",[57,671,672],{},"I wish you pass the test",[57,674,675],{},"I hope you pass the test."," Ask whether the thing can still happen; if it\ncan, use ",[57,678,565],{},[110,680,681,686,687,690,691,694],{},[113,682,683],{},[57,684,685],{},"I wish I would."," Covered above at length. Use ",[57,688,689],{},"I wish I could"," for an\ninability, or ",[57,692,693],{},"I should"," for a choice.",[110,696,697,384,700,703,704,707],{},[113,698,699],{},"Keeping the negative on both sides.",[57,701,702],{},"I wish it doesn't rain tomorrow","\ncollapses two errors into one: it should be ",[57,705,706],{},"I hope it doesn't rain\ntomorrow",", because tomorrow is still open.",[110,709,710,715,716,719,720,237,722,724],{},[113,711,712],{},[57,713,714],{},"I wish I would have known."," This is the third conditional error wearing\na different hat. It is ",[57,717,718],{},"I wish I had known",". As with ",[57,721,63],{},[57,723,382],{}," never sits\nin the clause that carries the unreal situation.",[110,726,727,384,733,736,737,219],{},[113,728,663,729,732],{},[57,730,731],{},"was"," after wish in writing.",[57,734,735],{},"I wish I was there"," is fine in\nspeech, weaker on paper. Prefer ",[57,738,739],{},"I wish I were there",[85,741,743],{"id":742},"practice","Practice",[54,745,746],{},"Complete each sentence. Answers are below.",[640,748,749,757,763,769,775],{},[110,750,751,752,756],{},"I wish I ",[753,754,755],"code",{},"___"," (know) the answer.",[110,758,759,760,762],{},"I wish you ",[753,761,755],{}," (stop) leaving the door open.",[110,764,765,766,768],{},"If only she ",[753,767,755],{}," (tell) me before she bought it.",[110,770,771,772,774],{},"I ",[753,773,755],{}," (hope \u002F wish) it doesn't rain tomorrow.",[110,776,751,777,779],{},[753,778,755],{}," (be) better at this.",[54,781,782,785,786,788,789,791],{},[113,783,784],{},"Answers:"," 1. knew (unreal present, one step back) 2. would stop (a complaint\nabout somebody else's repeated behaviour) 3. had told (a regret about the past,\ntwo steps back) 4. hope (tomorrow is still possible, so not ",[57,787,73],{},") 5. were\n(standard after ",[57,790,73],{}," for every subject)",{"title":793,"searchDepth":794,"depth":794,"links":795},"",2,[796,797,798,799,800,801,802,803,804],{"id":87,"depth":794,"text":88},{"id":134,"depth":794,"text":135},{"id":251,"depth":794,"text":252},{"id":337,"depth":794,"text":338},{"id":441,"depth":794,"text":442},{"id":478,"depth":794,"text":479},{"id":534,"depth":794,"text":535},{"id":634,"depth":794,"text":635},{"id":742,"depth":794,"text":743},"B2","How to use wish and if only in English: wish + past simple for an unreal present, wish + past perfect for regret, wish + would for complaints about other people, plus wish vs hope and the errors to avoid.",[808,846,874,896],{"type":809,"instructions":810,"items":811},"which-one","Choose the correct form after wish or if only.",[812,817,820,825,829,834,838,843],{"prompt":813,"answer":814,"options":815},"I wish I ___ more money.","had",[814,816],"have",{"prompt":818,"answer":814,"options":819},"I wish I ___ told her the truth.",[814,816],{"prompt":821,"answer":822,"options":823},"I wish you ___ shouting at me.","would stop",[822,824],"will stop",{"prompt":826,"answer":827,"options":828},"I wish I ___ swim.","could",[827,382],{"prompt":830,"answer":831,"options":832},"If only I ___ the answer.","knew",[831,833],"know",{"prompt":835,"answer":822,"options":836},"I wish it ___ raining.",[822,837],"stops",{"prompt":839,"answer":840,"options":841},"I wish I ___ that job last year.","had taken",[840,842],"took",{"prompt":844,"answer":565,"options":845},"I ___ you get the job tomorrow.",[565,73],{"type":847,"instructions":848,"items":849},"fill-blank","Write the missing word or verb form in each gap.",[850,852,854,858,862,865,868,872],{"prompt":851,"answer":229,"hint":225},"I wish I ___ taller.",{"prompt":853,"answer":831,"hint":833},"I wish I ___ her name.",{"prompt":855,"answer":856,"hint":857},"I wish I ___ to you last year.","had listened","listen",{"prompt":859,"answer":860,"hint":861},"If only she ___ me before she left.","had called","call",{"prompt":863,"answer":864},"I wish he ___ drive so fast.","wouldn't",{"prompt":866,"answer":827,"hint":867},"I wish I ___ help you, but I can't.","can",{"prompt":869,"answer":870,"hint":871},"She wishes she ___ the house last summer.","hadn't sold","not sell",{"prompt":873,"answer":822,"hint":428},"If only it ___ raining.",{"type":875,"instructions":876,"pairs":877},"match","Match each sentence to what the speaker means.",[878,881,884,887,890,893],{"left":879,"right":880},"I wish I had a car.","an unreal present - I do not have one",{"left":882,"right":883},"I wish I had bought a car.","a regret about the past",{"left":885,"right":886},"I wish you would listen.","something someone else keeps doing",{"left":888,"right":889},"I wish I could sing.","something I am not able to do",{"left":891,"right":892},"If only I had known.","a strong regret about the past",{"left":894,"right":895},"I hope you feel better.","a real wish about the future",{"type":897,"instructions":898,"legend":899,"items":900},"mark-pattern","Write NOW or THEN for the time each sentence is really about.","NOW = an unreal present. THEN = a regret about the past.",[901,904,907,909,911,913],{"prompt":902,"answer":903},"I wish I lived nearer the sea.","NOW",{"prompt":905,"answer":906},"I wish I had lived nearer the sea.","THEN",{"prompt":908,"answer":903},"If only she were here.",{"prompt":910,"answer":906},"If only she had been here.",{"prompt":912,"answer":903},"I wish I understood him.",{"prompt":914,"answer":906},"I wish I had understood him.","md",[917,920,923,926],{"q":918,"a":919},"Why does I wish I had a car use a past tense for something happening now?","Because the past tense after wish is not marking past time; it is marking distance from reality. I wish I had a car is about right now, and the past simple is simply English's way of saying this is not true. The same trick runs the second conditional: if I had a car, I would drive you. Neither sentence has anything to do with yesterday.",{"q":921,"a":922},"What is the difference between I wish I knew and I wish I had known?","I wish I knew is about now: I do not know, and I would like to. I wish I had known is about then: I did not know at the time, and it is too late. One step back for an unreal present, two steps back for a regret about the past. That is the entire distinction.",{"q":924,"a":925},"When do I use wish + would, and why can I not say I wish I would?","Wish + would is for complaining about somebody else's behaviour, usually something repeated and irritating: I wish you would stop shouting, I wish he would call me back. It only works when the other person could choose to change and is not choosing to. You cannot say I wish I would stop shouting, because you are the one choosing; English expects I wish I could stop shouting or simply I should stop shouting.",{"q":927,"a":928},"What is the difference between wish and hope?","Hope is for things that are still possible: I hope you get the job, I hope it stops raining. Wish is for things that are not true and probably will not become true: I wish I had your job. Use hope with a present or future tense for a real possibility, and wish with a past tense for an unreal one. The exception is fixed politeness formulas, where wish takes two objects: I wish you a safe journey.","english",{},true,"\u002Fenglish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fwish-and-if-only",{"title":48,"description":806},"english\u002Fgrammar\u002Fwish-and-if-only","GjxR7xoAC6t_rNH5LpFSnuk8_7Ky2MG_Lej1g-dsyEs",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":937},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M13 21h8M15 5l4 4m2.174-2.188a1 1 0 0 0-3.986-3.987L3.842 16.174a2 2 0 0 0-.5.83l-1.321 4.352a.5.5 0 0 0 .623.622l4.353-1.32a2 2 0 0 0 .83-.497z\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":939},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M11 4.702a.705.705 0 0 0-1.203-.498L6.413 7.587A1.4 1.4 0 0 1 5.416 8H3a1 1 0 0 0-1 1v6a1 1 0 0 0 1 1h2.416a1.4 1.4 0 0 1 .997.413l3.383 3.384A.705.705 0 0 0 11 19.298zM16 9a5 5 0 0 1 0 6m3.364 3.364a9 9 0 0 0 0-12.728\"\u002F>"]