Wish

wish + infinitive

wish + object + infinitive

wish + two objects

I wish + would + infinitive

wish + (that) + simple past

wish + had + past participle

wish + infinitive

We use this structure in formal situations to mean want.

e.g.	The service was unacceptable. I wish to see the manager.
	If you wish to make a complaint, please telephone customer service.

wish + object + infinitive

As with wish + infinitive, we use this structure in formal situations to mean want.

e.g.	I do not wish my photograph to appear on the web-site.
	Do you wish me to carry your suitcase, Madam?

wish + two objects

We use wish + two objects in fixed expressions of good wishes.

e.g.	We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year.
	I wish you a speedy recovery.
	Here’s wishing you all the best in your new job.

I wish + would + infinitive

We use this structure when we want something to happen or when we want somebody to do or not to do something. We are not happy with the current situation, so it often expresses dissatisfaction or annoyance. It can be like an order or a critical request. We can replace wish with if only, to make the sentence more emphatic.

e.g.	I wish he would stop complaining.
	I wish you’d help me around the house for a change.
	I wish you would quit making so much noise.
	I wish you wouldn’t drive so fast.

Sometimes we talk as if things or situations could be willing or unwilling, or could insist or refuse to do things.

e.g.	Don’t you wish this moment would last forever?
	I wish it would stop raining.

If the verb is an event verb (e.g. become, get, come, leave hit), then the sentence is referring to the future. In this case, we can use either would or could.

e.g.	I wish I could go with you to the barbecue at the weekend.
	I wish you would leave.

However, if you have wishes about simple future events, you need to use hope.

e.g.	I hope we don’t get snow tomorrow.
	I hope he’ll talk to me at the party this evening.

wish + (that) + simple past

We use this structure to express regrets, and wishes for unlikely or impossible things. You want to change a present state. We are not talking about willingness, unwillingness, insistence or refusal (when would would be used). We can replace wish with if only, to make the sentence more emphatic.

e.g.	I wish (that) I were/was taller. (were is more formal, but still commonly used) If only I was/were taller.
	I wish (that) I spoke Portuguese well.
	Jack wishes (that) I didn’t smoke.
	She wishes (that) she didn’t have to work at the weekend.
	I wish I lived in Italy.
	I wish you didn’t have to leave now.

wish + had + past participle

(DO NOT use Wish + would have + past participle. You may hear some native speakers using this structure, but it is not considered grammatically correct).

We use this structure as a conditional to mean you wish something had happened, and you are sorry that it didn’t happen. You are expressing a regret about the past.

e.g.	I feel terribly guilty. I wish I hadn’t told Sam Tom’s secret.
	I had a great holiday, but I wish the weather had been better.
	I feel ill. I wish I hadn’t come into work today.
	Do you wish you had gone out with Peter instead of Paul?