English Conditionals - WISH








Wish in the Present

Wish + Simple Past

Ex:
I wish I had more money.
I wish I knew how to speak French.

  • Similar to the 2nd conditional (present unreal)
    I wish I had more money. If I had more money, I would buy a car.
  • Shows a desire to change a situation in the present
  • Hypothetical situations that are often impossible

    Wish in the Past (Past Regrets)

    Wish + Past Perfect

    Ex:
    I wish I had studied harder in university.
    I wish I had been a better student in university.

  • Similar to the 3rd conditional (past unreal)

  • I wish I had studied harder. If I had studied harder, I would have passed all my classes.
  • Shows regrets in the past



    Ø The verb to be is always “were”. This is true for all subjects.
    Ex:
    I wish it were hot outside.
    I wish he were more patient.


    Ø Wish is very common with the verbs could and had.
    Ex:
    I wish I could speak French.
    I wish I had more money.



    Here is the Word file to print for students. Click on the picture and copy and paste the file.





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