Regrets and wants: wish + past (present regret), wish + past perfect (past regret), wish + would (annoyance)
I can express present and past regrets and polite frustration with wish/if only.
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
I wish I spoke better French — and if only I had started as a kid.
I wish I spoke better French — and if only I had started as a kid.
I wish the neighbours would fix that alarm — it's been going off all week.
I wish the neighbours would fix that alarm — it's been going off all week.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
The tense after wish encodes the time of the regret:
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| wish + past | present regret | I wish I lived closer to the sea. |
| wish + past perfect | past regret | I wish I had studied music. |
| wish + would | annoyance at others | I wish you would stop humming. |
If only intensifies all three: If only it had rained! Note: wish + would needs a different subject — for yourself use could: I wish I could come.
Apply this grammar in B2 course exercises
Practice ExercisesTense after wish unshifted
Present regret → past; past regret → past perfect
would with the same subject
Self-wishes take could
I wish I spoke better French — and if only I had started as a kid.
I wish I spoke better French — and if only I had started as a kid.
Present regret + intensified past regret.
I wish the neighbours would fix that alarm — it's been going off all week.
I wish the neighbours would fix that alarm — it's been going off all week.
wish + would for others' annoying behaviour.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in B2 course exercises