What is the past tense of wish? (2024)

FAQs

What is the past tense of wish? ›

The verb after “wish” is one tense back, so that if you are wishing for a different present situation, the tense that follows “wish” is past simple or past continuous. If you are wishing that a past situation was different, the tense that comes after “wish” is past perfect.

The verb after “wish” is one tense back, so that if you are wishing for a different present situation, the tense that follows “wish” is past simple or past continuous. If you are wishing that a past situation was different, the tense that comes after “wish” is past perfect.

Basics of WISH grammar

WISH is often used with the past tense to express a desire for something that did not happen or is not currently happening. For example, "I wish I had studied harder for the exam." In this sentence, the speaker is expressing regret for not studying harder in the past.

To me, "I wish it had (been)" is a phrase that distinctly puts the event in the past tense. For example, if you were talking about a sports game that your team had lost, you could say, "I wish it had turned out differently." However, "I wish it were" seems more like something you would say about an ongoing event.

Wishes tend to fall into four categories: Wish to Be, Wish to Have, Wish to Go, Wish to Meet.

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.

When we use wish followed by a verb in the to-infinitive form, wish means the same as want, but it is more formal. We do not normally use wish in the continuous form when we use it with a to-infinitive: I wish to speak to Mr Hennessy, please.

“I wish I had” is actually a sort of subjunctive — don't let the past-tense form “I had” fool you. Generally, it means the speaker wishes he had something in the moment s/he's speaking (i.e., in the present time).

In English, we use wish + past form verb when we want something now or in the future to be different e.g. I wish I had more money. In English, we use wish + past perfect verb to show we regret something (we want something in the past to be different) e.g. I wish I had listened to my mom and studied harder.

How do I reply "I wish you were here"? ›

You could respond with something like, "I wish I were there too! Hopefully, we can plan something soon." Or, "I'd love to be there with you right now!"

The subjunctive is used when referring to potential or hypothetical situations, like wishing for something that doesn't exist yet. “I wish I were” is grammatically correct because you're wishing for something that hasn't occurred yet. Once it becomes real, you can switch back to “was.”

If you're looking to write a hit song, it's fine to use the less formal I wish I was. If you're writing a paper for your English professor, on the other hand, stick with the grammarians, and use I wish I were.

“I wish I had done something" is standard, logical, correct, and natural. “I wish I would have done something” is not correct grammar. You either wish for something or you don't. You don't wish you would have.

There are five types of wishes: to have, to give, to meet, to be and to go.

[WP] A genie grants you three wishes, stating the three rules: no killing or raising from the dead, no making anyone fall in love, and no wishing for wishes. "Were these rules always there?" you ask. "No," replies the genie.