WISHES AND

UNREAL PAST
WISHES, COMPLAINTS AND
REGRETS
1. Wanting
change
2. Imaginary
wishes
3. Regrets
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 IMAGINARY WISHES
‘ I wish I was richer’

‘ I wish I wore sandals at work

after quarantine ends’
 We use it to talk about
imaginary wishes,
we use:
I wish + PAST SIMPLE
Or
We can also use could
I wish + I could

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People wish they could visit their relatives

Loreine wishes she could go to the beach

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 WANTING CHANGE
‘I wish the teachers ‘I wish people ‘ Patty wishes her
would stop sending boyfriend would be
wouldn’t
us lots of Hw’ more romantic’
abandon
doggies’

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FOR THINGS YOU WANT TO CHANGE
We use:

I wish + WOULD + infinitive

‘I wish I wouldn’t be in a hurry all

the time :S’

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REGRETS
‘ I wish I had
gone
to bed earlier’

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 ‘She wishes
she had
behaved
bettter in
class’

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Talk about things you regret
(not) doing
I wish + Past perfect

It is similar to 3rd
Conditional
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Could
* It is also possible to be used:

I wish + I could + HAVE +

participle verb
‘ I wish we could have spent your last semester of English at
school together’ 

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 I wish
=
If only
You can use either
one or the other 

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 ‘I wish I had more time and
energy to finish all the pending
stuff’

‘ If only I had more time and

energy to finish all the pending
stuff’

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