Look at these examples to see how wish and if only are used.
That guy is so annoying! I wish he'd stop talking.
I wish I lived closer to my family.
If only I hadn't lost her phone number. She must think I'm so rude for not calling her.
I wish they wouldn't park their car in front of my house.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
We use wish and if only to talk about things that we would like to be different in either the present or the past. If only is usually a bit stronger than wish.
In the present
We can use wish/if only + a past form to talk about a present situation we would like to be different.
I wish you didn't live so far away.
If only we knew what to do.
He wishes he could afford a holiday.
In the past
We can use wish/if only + a past perfect form to talk about something we would like to change about the past.
They wish they hadn't eaten so much chocolate. They're feeling very sick now.
If only I'd studied harder when I was at school.
Expressing annoyance
We can use wish + would(n't) to show that we are annoyed with what someone or something does or doesn't do. We often feel that they are unlikely or unwilling to change.
I wish you wouldn't borrow my clothes without asking.
I wish it would rain. The garden really needs some water.
She wishes he'd work less. They never spend any time together.
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Hello GiulianaAndy,
No, I'm afraid it wouldn't be correct to say 'I wish I wouldn't have a headache' or 'If only I wouldn't have a headache' in this case.
The subject of the verb 'have' in the sentence is 'I', not the headache, and it doesn't really express the idea of willingness or unwillingness.
It's unusual (though not impossible) to say 'I wish I would' because we don't usually express wishes about our own behavior -- this is because, in theory at least, we are in control of our behavior and therefore don't have to make wishes about it. We wish for things that we're not completely in control of.
It's when we feel we aren't in complete control that we could use this 'I wish I would' structure. For example, if I say 'I wish I would stop smoking', it suggests that I don't think I am in complete control, perhaps because I'm addicted to nicotine.
It's possible to say 'I wish I stopped smoking', but that is odd because by doing that I'm talking about myself as an object. People don't normally use this grammar to speak about themselves in this way.
I hope this helps you make sense of the grammar.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello aymanme2,
Most of the time, we don't use 'would' in the clause after 'wish' when the subject of both clauses is the same. In the first situation you describe, instead you should say 'didn't have to work' (just as you suggest).
In the second situation, you could say 'could', but, unless I've misunderstood, it sounds to me as if a sentence with 'hope' might be more appropriate. We use 'wish' when we regard the outcome as impossible or very unlikely and 'hope' when we see it as possible. So, for example, if your brother is taking the driving licence exam on Monday, it would probably be more appropriate to say 'My brother hopes to get his licence on Monday' or 'I hope my brother gets his licence on Monday'.
In the third situation, both 'could' and 'would' are possible and the meanings are slightly different. 'I wish my son could join' means it's not possible for him to join, but that you wish it weren't impossible. 'I wish my son would join' means it's possible for him to join but that he doesn't want to and refuses to do it.
It is possible to use 'would' in a sentence with 'wish' where both clauses have the same subject, but it has a very specific meaning. For example, if I say 'I wish I would exercise every day', this means that I wish I had the desire or discipline to exercise every day but know that I don't. Like the third situation above, 'would' expresses the idea of desire or willingness. This is a pretty unusual situation and often we'd just say 'I wish I exercised every day', which is probably why grammar books don't mention it.
If you want to read a bit more about this, I'd suggest this page on 'wish' and this page on 'hope' on the Cambridge Dictionary website.
Hope this helps!
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Dante2021,
We can use wish to talk about present or past regrets:
Regrets about the present are expressed with {wish + past simple]; regrets about the past are expressed with [wish + past perfect].
In your example the past perfect (had already left) is not part of a grammatical construction with wish; it is part of a different clause which provides context and explanation.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Maahir,
'would be' is not correct here. The only possible answers for this are 'was' and 'were', and since 'were' is your only option, it is the correct answer in this exercise.
When speaking about a hypothetical or unreal situation -- which is the case in this sentence, since it means that he is not here right now -- it's possible to say 'were' or 'was' for any person. In other words, it's correct to say 'I were' and 'he/she/it were', and it's also correct to say 'I was' and 'he/she/it was'.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello MohammedAhmed,
I'm afraid that's not grammatically correct. If I correctly understand what you want to communicate, I'd recommend 'I hope you come with us today'.
We use 'wish' and 'if only' to speak about things we would like to be different, but usually which can't be different, at least for the moment. When we want to speak about something more possible, we use 'hope'.
You might find this more detailed explanation useful.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Ayn,
We use 'wish' and 'if only' to speak about things we would like to be different, but which can't be different right now. In this situation, for example, the idea is that we did not bring our umbrella. This is why 'had brought' is the correct answer here.
Does that make sense?
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Ayn,
Great! 'was' and 'were' both mean exactly the same thing here. Many years ago, only 'were' was correct here because it is the subjunctive form. But over the years, 'was' has come to be accepted as an alternative. There are still some people who have a more traditional view that might say that 'were' is really the only correct form, but if you look at how people speak and write, you'll find both forms in common use.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello aymanme2,
Yes, that's correct. Well done! It looks as if you understand this very well.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello MARUFA MARJAN PRITHIE,
Your sentence describes a past situation and you are talking about an something which was not true (you did not meet her). For an unreal past like this you use wish + past perfect. Thus, the correct answer is b - I wish I had met her.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello again MARUFA MARJAN PRITHIE,
'I wish I would have...' is not a standard form. As you say, 'I wish I had...' is correct.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello BETSY,
In unreal if-clauses we can use were instead of was. This is true for all subjects and not only the third person. It's only in this construction that we do this.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello soniariverofdez,
We use the past to express hypotehtical or unreal situations. I don't know if you know Spanish or not, but if you do, it's similar in Spanish -- '... que la gente no pusiera ...'
The same is true of expressions with 'if only'.
Hope this helps.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Farhad,
Yes, this is correct. When 'be' follows the word 'if' or the verb 'wish', it is grammatically correct to say things like 'if I were', 'I wish he were', 'she wishes she were' and 'if it were'. When we use the past simple in this way, we aren't speaking about the past, but rather about a hypothetical situation or hope.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello aymanme2,
'weren't' is the correct answer here -- it expresses an unreal situation. It's 'unreal' because it's not real, that is, sports cars are in fact expensive.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello aymanme2,
Yes, that's correct. Well done! It looks as if you understand this very well.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Heartnette,
No, we would not use 'wouldn't have to' in this context.
The reason is that didn't have to describes a fact which we cannot control. Wouldn't describes a choice here, so it does not go with have to, which describes an obligation.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi MarcosPermin,
Wish is a regular verb, so you can simply use the past simple:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello B. Batnayam,
Both sentences describe imaginary situations. Often in English, when we talk about imaginary or counter-factual situations, we move the verb form one step into the past. Thus, to talk about an imaginary present we use wish + past simple. To talk about an imaginary past, we use wish + past perfect.
For example:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello bebers1,
Both 'was' and 'were' (without capital letters) are possible here.
The form 'were' is a subjunctive form which used to be more common in English. Nowadays the present simple if more often used, but the subjunctive is still used with the verb 'be'.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team