Wishes & Regrets

What if you found a magic

lamp and a genie came out
to grant you 3 wishes.

Rule: You can’t wish for

for more wishes.

What would you wish for?

Would you rather have a lifetime full of
wealth & money… or a lifetime of great
health?
What’s something in your life that you hope never
changes
What wishes do you have for your
country?
Did you do anything recently that you wish you
hadn’t done?

(I wish I hadn’t stayed awake so late last night… now,

I’m sleepy!)
Present wish
1. We use wish + past simple to express that
we want a situation in the present (or future)
to be different.
– I wish I spoke English better. (I don't speak English well.)
– I wish I had a more money. (I don't have much money.)
– I wish I was on a beach. (I'm stuck at school.)

– Future: I wish it was Friday.

– (It's only Tuesday.)
Present Continuous wish
2. We use wish + past continuous to express
that we want to be doing a different action in
the present (or future).

– I wish I was lying on a beach now. (I'm sitting on my

sofa.)
– I wish it wasn't raining. (It is raining.)
– I wish you weren't leaving tomorrow. (You are leaving
tomorrow.)
Past wish
3. We use wish + past perfect to express a
regret, or that we want a situation in the past to
be different.
– I wish I hadn't eaten so much. (I ate a lot.)
– I wish they had stayed longer. (They didn't stay long
enough.)
– I wish I had studied harder at school. (I was lazy at school.)
Future wish
4. Wish + would
• We use wish + would + bare infinitive to express
impatience, annoyance or dissatisfaction with a
present action.

– I wish you would stop smoking. (You are smoking at the

moment and it is annoying me.)
– I wish my neighbors would move. (because they’re annoying.)
– I wish that baby would be quiet. (I am annoyed because the
baby keeps crying.)
 Wish and Hope
• To simply express that you want something to happen in
the future (not talking about wanting an action or
situation to be different, and not talking about
impatience or annoyance) we use hope, not wish.

– I hope it's sunny tomorrow.

NOT I wish it was sunny tomorrow.
– I hope she passes her exam next week.
NOT I wish she were passing her exam next week.
– I hope the plane doesn't crash tomorrow.
NOT I wish the plane wouldn't crash tomorrow.
 Wish = If only

• I wish I hadn’t said that.

• If only I hadn’t said that.
Here are some “wishes” people make