Virtuous English Academy
Wish, If Only and the Unreal Past (B2)
- #B2
- #Grammar
- #Rules
- #Examples
Structures with wish and if only use the unreal past to express regret and desire about the present and past. This lesson shows how to talk about things you want to be different.
Wish and if only express dissatisfaction with reality — you want something to be different from how it is, or you regret how it was. The structures are closely related to the conditionals, because both use past forms to signal that something is not true.
Three patterns cover almost everything. For a present situation you dislike, use wish plus the past simple: I wish I spoke Japanese. For a past event you regret, use wish plus the past perfect: I wish I had studied harder. For someone else's behaviour that annoys you, use wish plus would: I wish you would listen.
The would pattern has an important restriction. You cannot use it about yourself, because would implies willingness and you already control your own behaviour. I wish I would study more is wrong; the correct forms are I wish I studied more or I wish I could study more.
How to form Wish and If Only
| What you want to change | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A present situation | wish + past simple | I wish I had more time. |
| A present state of being | wish + were | I wish I were taller. |
| A past event | wish + past perfect | I wish I hadn't said that. |
| Someone else's behaviour | wish + would | I wish he would stop interrupting. |
| A present ability | wish + could | I wish I could help. |
| Stronger regret | if only + same patterns | If only I had known. |
| Formal regret | regret + -ing / to inform | I regret leaving. We regret to inform you. |
| Preference for the past | would rather + past simple | I'd rather you didn't mention it. |
Wish and If Only: the key rules
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Wish + past simple = a present situation you'd like different.
I wish I lived closer to the sea.
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Wish + past perfect = regret about the past.
She wishes she had studied abroad.
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Wish + would = irritation at someone else's behaviour (never your own).
I wish you would stop interrupting.
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If only intensifies any of the three; it's time + past simple presses urgency.
If only I had listened! It's time we left.
When to use Wish and If Only
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Regretting past decisions
The past perfect pattern is the standard way to express regret about something finished.
I wish I had accepted the offer when it was made.
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Complaining about someone's habits
Wish plus would expresses irritation at behaviour you cannot control.
I wish they would answer their emails.
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Expressing dissatisfaction with now
The past simple pattern describes a present situation you would change.
I wish this flat had more light.
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Making a polite objection
Would rather with a past form politely asks someone not to do something.
I'd rather you didn't smoke in here.
wish + past simple vs. wish + would
Both concern the present, but one describes a situation and the other complains about behaviour.
wish + past simple — a situation
Describes a state of affairs you would like to be different. Works for yourself and others.
I wish I lived closer. I wish she worked here.
wish + would — behaviour
Complains about a repeated action by someone else. Never used about yourself.
I wish she would call. I wish it would stop raining.
Wish and If Only in example sentences
- I wish I knew the answer.Present situation — past simple after wish.
- I wish I were less impatient.were is preferred in this formal pattern.
- She wishes she had taken the other job.Past regret — past perfect.
- I wish you would stop apologising.Complaint about someone else's behaviour.
- If only we had left earlier.if only intensifies the same past regret pattern.
- I wish I could come, but I'm working.could rather than would when talking about yourself.
- I'd rather you told her yourself.would rather + past simple for a polite preference.
- We regret to inform you that your application was unsuccessful.Formal regret with an infinitive.
Wish and If Only in a real conversation
Three different wish patterns appear — situation, past regret and complaint about behaviour.
Miro:I wish I'd applied for that transfer.
Elsa:It's not too late. I wish you'd stop assuming it is.
Miro:The deadline passed in March. If only I had checked the calendar.
Elsa:I wish the company advertised these things properly.
Miro:I wish I could just ask them directly.
Elsa:Then do. I'd rather you tried than spent another year regretting it.
Common mistakes (and how to fix them)
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I wish I have more free time.
I wish I had more free time.
Wish forces the verb one step into the past — present wishes wear the past simple.
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I wish I would be taller.
I wish I were taller.
Wish + would targets other people's willful behaviour; for yourself and for states, use the past (were).
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He wishes he didn't sell the house last year.
He wishes he hadn't sold the house last year.
A regret about a finished past event needs the past perfect.
Practise Wish and If Only today
Sort by what you want to change — that determines the pattern automatically.
- Write four wishes about your present situation using the past simple.
- Write four regrets about the past using the past perfect.
- Write four complaints about other people using wish plus would.
- Correct these: I wish I would be taller. — I wish I have studied. — I wish he will call.
Wish and If Only: frequently asked questions
Why can I not say I wish I would…?
Because would in this structure expresses willingness, and you cannot wish for your own willingness — you already have control over what you do. If you want to change your own behaviour, use the past simple for a situation, I wish I exercised more, or could for an ability, I wish I could exercise more. The would pattern is reserved for other people and for uncontrollable things like the weather.
What is the difference between wish and if only?
The structures are identical, but if only is more emphatic and emotional. I wish I had listened is a mild regret; If only I had listened conveys something closer to anguish. If only also frequently stands alone as an exclamation without a main clause. In writing, if only adds intensity, so it should be used sparingly for effect.
Should I use was or were after wish?
Were is the traditional subjunctive and is preferred in formal writing and in exams: I wish I were more confident. Was is extremely common in speech and is not considered wrong by most modern grammarians. The fixed expression I wish I were you is normally kept with were. For B2 assessment purposes, were is the safer choice.
How does would rather work with a past form?
When would rather concerns someone else's action, it takes a past simple even though the meaning is present or future: I'd rather you came tomorrow. This is another instance of the unreal past marking distance rather than time. When would rather concerns your own action, it takes a bare infinitive instead: I'd rather stay home.