WISH + past simple – English Grammar Profiler
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 21 in the category of PAST is defined as:
past simple with ‘wish (that)’ to express regret that things are not different.
TLC STUDENT SPEAKING TEST EXAMPLE:
I listen to music a lot and sometimes I wish that my life was a musical.
male Spain C2
EXPERT EXAMPLES:
I wish I never called.
TED
There were many moments growing up where I wished that I was white.
TED
*Note that past perfect is also possible with this structure:
At that time, I wished I had lost weight that I had gained every day.
PELIC STUDENT: Korean female level 5 grammar class
A search in iWeb for:
_P wish that _P _VV
1 I WISH THAT I KNEW 69 2 I WISH THAT I LIVED 13 3 I WISH THAT IT CAME 11 4 I WISH THAT THEY MADE 10
5 I WISH THAT WE LIVED 10
_P wish _P _VV
1 I WISH I KNEW 5603 2 I WISH I LIVED 654 3 YOU WISH YOU KNEW 576 4 I WISH THEY MADE 460 5 I WISH IT CAME 428 6 I WISH I GOT 306 7 I WISH YOU CONTINUED 251
8 I WISH I WOULDVE 232
9 I WISH I FOUND 228 10 I WISH THEY CAME 209 11 I WISH I SAW 183 12 I WISH I TOOK 182 13 I WISH WE LIVED 169 14 I WISH I READ 162 15 I WISH I REMEMBERED 162 16 I WISH I UNDERSTOOD 160 17 I WISH I COULDVE 147 18 I WISH I BOUGHT 135 19 I WISH WE KNEW 133 20 I WISH I MADE 121 21 I WISH I LOOKED 111 22 I WISH THEY OFFERED 109 23 WE WISH WE KNEW 108 24 I WISH THEY SOLD 107 25 I WISH I WENT 106 26 I WISH YOU LOVE 106 27 I WISH IT WORKED 104 28 I WISH YOU LIVED 102 29 I WISH SOMEONE TOLD 101 30 I WISH WE GOT 100 31 I WISH I OWNED 97 32 WE WISH YOU CONTINUED 97 33 I WISH I STARTED 95 34 I WISH I FELT 93 35 I WISH I THOUGHT 91 36 I WISH I LIKED 90 37 I WISH YOU KNEW 88 38 ME WISH I LIVED 71 39 THEY WISH THEY KNEW 67 40 I WISH I CAME 63 41 I WISH I KEPT 61 42 I WISH I KNOW 56 43 I WISH I WORKED 55 44 YOU WISH YOU OWNED 51 45 YOU WISH YOU LIVED 49 46 I WISH I WISH 45 47 I WISH I DISCOVERED 42 48 I WISH I SPENT 42 49 I WISH WE SAW 42
50 I WISH I LEARNED 41
A2:
kept, offered, sold, someone, spent, wish
B1:
continued, discovered, owned