The use of the present wish in English (EFL/ESL Grammar: rules, use and practice)
What is a wish?
A wish is to want something to happen or to be true even though it is unlikely or impossible. The following table shows how to use wish (in the present ) in English.
| The rules of using wish: |
Subject + wish + subject + verb (simple past) Subject + wish + that + subject + verb (simple past) |
Examples:
- I wish I had a car.
- I wish she didn’t come at all.
- She wishes she gota good grade on the exam.
- My mother wishes I cleaned my room.
- They wish they were good at English.
- We wish we had enough money.
Note: when we express wish in the present, we refer to hypothetical situations that don’t actually exist in the present. For example:
- I don’t have a car…..will be expressed like this….I wish I had a car
- I don’t understand Math …….will be expressed like this….. I wish I understood Math
- I’m stupid……………..will be expressed like this……..I wish I weren’t.
As you can see:
- The negative form becomes positive and the positive form becomes negative.
- The present tense becomes the simple past.
Check: Wish in the past
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