Wish / If Only (Present)
'Wish' and 'if only' with a past tense express a desire for a present situation to be different. The past form is unreal — it signals dissatisfaction with how things are now.
Level B2
Conditionals
Summary
- 'Wish' and 'if only' with a past tense express a desire for a present situation to be different. The past form is unreal — it signals dissatisfaction with how things are now.
Structure
wish / if only + subject + past simple (were for all persons)
Examples
- I wish I knew the answer.
- If only she were here right now.
- He wishes he had more free time.
- I wish I didn't have to work tomorrow.
Common mistakes
- • Using a present tense: 'I wish I know' should be 'I wish I knew'.
- • Using 'was' instead of 'were' in careful/formal English: 'I wish I was taller' is better as 'I wish I were taller'.
Related
More conditionals
First Conditional
B1
Use the first conditional for real or likely situations in the future and their probable results.
Zero Conditional
B1
Use the zero conditional for facts and things that are always true — when one thing happens, the result always follows.
Second Conditional
B2
Use the second conditional for unreal, hypothetical, or unlikely situations in the present or future, and their imagined results.
Third Conditional
B2
Use the third conditional to talk about imagined past situations that did not happen, and to express regret or criticism about the past.
Mixed Conditional
C1
Use a mixed conditional when the time of the condition and the time of the result are different — for example, a past condition with a present result, or a present condition with a past result.
Wish / If Only (Past)
B2
'Wish' and 'if only' with the past perfect express regret about the past — a desire that something earlier had been different. They look back at choices that can no longer be changed.