Sentence Structure & Word Order

Using “wish” + correct tense

2 min read

We use wish to talk about situations that are unreal, impossible, or different from what we want. The verb after wish usually moves one step back in time, even if the meaning is present or future.

Wishes about the present

Use the past simple to talk about something that is not true now.

I wish I were taller. (= I am not taller now.)
I wish she lived closer.

Note: “I wish I were” is the traditional form, but “I wish I was” is very common in everyday English.

Wishes about ability: wish + could

Use could when the problem is ability or possibility.

I wish I could speak Japanese. (= I can’t.)
I wish we could go on holiday this year.

Sometimes could and the past simple have similar meanings:

I wish I could drive ≈ I wish I knew how to drive.

Wishes about the past

Use the past perfect to express regret about something that has already happened.

I wish I had studied more. (= I didn’t study.)
I wish she had told me sooner.

Wishes about the future (annoyances or desired changes): wish + would

Use would to express impatience, annoyance, or a desire for someone else to change their behaviour.

I wish he would stop shouting.
I wish the weather would improve.

Important: You cannot use wish + would for your own behaviour.

❌ I wish I would be more patient.
✅ I wish I were more patient. (present)
✅ I wish I could be more patient. (ability)

“If only” for emphasis

If only works like “wish” but sounds stronger or more emotional.

If only I had more time.
If only she had told me sooner.
If only it would stop raining.

Using “that”

You can add that after “wish,” but most speakers leave it out.

I wish (that) he were here.
I wish (that) things were different.

💡 Tip

wish + past simple → present situation you want to change.
wish + could → ability or possibility you don’t have.
wish + past perfect → regret about the past.
wish + would → someone else’s behaviour you want to change.
If you're talking about yourself, avoid “would”: use “were” or “could.”

Test your knowledge 📝

Question 1 sur 8Score: 0/8

I wish I ___ more confident. (present situation)

Discover the app: Shaky English

Join 100,000 people who are improving their English skills on the Shaky English app

Other similar rules

Conjugation

Possessive Nouns

When something belongs to a person or a thing, we often add an apostrophe (’), with or without an “s”, to the word for that person or thing (a noun). One owner If one person or thing owns something,...

Common confusions

Who vs. Whom

Let’s learn the difference between who and whom in a simple way. Who Who is the person doing the action (the subject of the sentence or question). Who called you last night? (Someone did the calli...

Vocabulary

Apostrophes

An apostrophe (’) is a small punctuation mark that makes a big difference in meaning. We use it to make short forms (don’t, it’s), to show that something belongs to someone, and in some time expressio...

Common confusions

Then vs. Than

People often mix up then and than, even native speakers. But they have very different meanings. Then Then is used to talk about time, order, or results. It tells us what happens next, or what happen...

Conjugation

Articles: A, An, The

In English, the small words a, an and the (called articles) show if we are talking about something general or something specific. Sometimes we use no article at all. 1. A / An We use a or an with on...

Common confusions

Emigrate vs. Immigrate

Emigrate and immigrate both deal with moving from one country to another, but they look at the move from a different side. Emigrate Emigrate means to leave your country to live somewhere else. The fo...

Conjugation

Other vs. Another vs. The other vs. Others

Words like other, another, the other, and others are often confusing because they all refer to “something else.” The difference depends on number (singular/plural) and whether the group is specific or...

Conjugation

Arrive in / Arrive at (never 'arrive to')

With go and get, you use "to": go to London, get to the station. With arrive, you never use "to". You use in or at. 1. Arrive in → a city, a country, a region We arrived in Tokyo at 6 a.m. When...

Sentence Structure & Word Order

Using “wish” + correct tense

2 min read

Wishes about the present

Use the past simple to talk about something that is not true now.

I wish I were taller. (= I am not taller now.)
I wish she lived closer.

Note: “I wish I were” is the traditional form, but “I wish I was” is very common in everyday English.

Wishes about ability: wish + could

Use could when the problem is ability or possibility.

I wish I could speak Japanese. (= I can’t.)
I wish we could go on holiday this year.

Sometimes could and the past simple have similar meanings:

I wish I could drive ≈ I wish I knew how to drive.

Wishes about the past

Use the past perfect to express regret about something that has already happened.

I wish I had studied more. (= I didn’t study.)
I wish she had told me sooner.

Wishes about the future (annoyances or desired changes): wish + would

Use would to express impatience, annoyance, or a desire for someone else to change their behaviour.

I wish he would stop shouting.
I wish the weather would improve.

Important: You cannot use wish + would for your own behaviour.

❌ I wish I would be more patient.
✅ I wish I were more patient. (present)
✅ I wish I could be more patient. (ability)

“If only” for emphasis

If only works like “wish” but sounds stronger or more emotional.

If only I had more time.
If only she had told me sooner.
If only it would stop raining.

Using “that”

You can add that after “wish,” but most speakers leave it out.

I wish (that) he were here.
I wish (that) things were different.

💡 Tip

wish + past simple → present situation you want to change.
wish + could → ability or possibility you don’t have.
wish + past perfect → regret about the past.
wish + would → someone else’s behaviour you want to change.
If you're talking about yourself, avoid “would”: use “were” or “could.”

Test your knowledge 📝

Question 1 sur 8Score: 0/8

I wish I ___ more confident. (present situation)

Discover the app: Shaky English

Join 100,000 people who are improving their English skills on the Shaky English app

Other similar rules

Conjugation

Possessive Nouns

Common confusions

Who vs. Whom

Vocabulary

Apostrophes

Common confusions

Then vs. Than

Conjugation

Articles: A, An, The

Common confusions

Emigrate vs. Immigrate

Conjugation

Other vs. Another vs. The other vs. Others

Conjugation

Arrive in / Arrive at (never 'arrive to')

With go and get, you use "to": go to London, get to the station. With arrive, you never use "to". You use in or at. 1. Arrive in → a city, a country, a region We arrived in Tokyo at 6 a.m. When...