There are other uses of (wish) in English grammar besides wishful thinking. We will address these uses in this lesson.
The uses of wish
1- To hope
2- To regret
3- To complain
To hope
The form is: Subject + wish + simple past
It is used to express a desire for something in the present or future, but the thing is unlikely to happen.
Example: I wish I knew Spanish.
Notes:
1- Although the tense is simple past, we are talking about the present or future.
2- If the verb (be) comes after (wish), we use only the form (were) with all the pronouns. But it is also correct to use (was).
Example: I wish I were an actor.
To regret
The form is: Subject + wish + past perfect
It is used to describe regret for an action that happened in the past and cannot be changed.
Example: He wishes he had not forgotten his paperwork.
To complain
The form is: Subject + wish + would + verb in infinitive form
It is used to express annoyance of someone's behavior or attitude.
Example: I wish you would stop smoking.
Notes:
1- We can use (if only) instead of (wish) in the previous cases.
Example: If only I have a car.
2- We do not put the object directly after (wish). It must come after a full sentence of a subject, verb, and object.
Example:
I wish a cup of tea. ✘
I wish I had a cup of tea. ✓
3- We use it for greeting.
Examples:
I wish you all the best.
We wish you a happy holiday.
Hope
It is a synonym of wish, and it is used in the following cases:
1- 1- To express goodwill about the past or future.
Examples:
I hope you have a good day at work.
I hope that he enjoyed his meal.
Notes:
1- We can choose to use (that) after (hope) or not to use it, as in the previous examples.
2- To decide future wishes where they are still possible, or when talking about desires that happened and ended in the past.
Examples:
I hope you can come to our wedding this Monday.
I was hoping that you would come to our wedding.
That was all about wish clauses and how they are formed and used. If you have any questions or suggestions, you can share them in the comments section below.
Exercise
Put the verb in the correct form to complete these sentences.
1- I wish I had … yesterday. (study)
2- I wish I … a new car. (buy)
3- If only I had … more. (work)
4- I wish you would … early more often. (wake up)
5- If only I … the best student in the class. (be)
Answers
1- studied
2- bought
3- worked
4- wake up
5- were/was