wish, if only, hope
Hi, in today's lesson you are going to learn about the verbs "wish", "if Only" and "hope".
These verbs are commonly confused and are often tested in exams.
So let's get started.
We are going to look at
wish = wish somebody something
To express regret in the present
To express regret in the past
Wish/if only + would
Wish/if only + could
And finally Hope
I'll put the times down in the comment section so if you are interested in a particular usage
you can quickly go to the bit that interests you.
So let's start with wish when you wish somebody something.
You can say :
I wish you luck
We wish somebody something.
But you cannot say you wish that something happens. In this situation we use hope.
So you would say: I wish you a pleasant stay here. you wish someone something.
Or
I hope you have pleasant stay here. ( not wish you have)
we also use wish and if only to express regrets. things that we would like to change either
about the past or the present. If only is an emphatic way to say I wish. When talking
about other people, we use he wishes, they wish etc. We use if only when we feel something
very strongly. Your really wish something.
So talking about the present:
To say something is not as we would like it.
I wish you didn’t live so far away.
When we talk about present regrets, both wish and if only are followed by the past simple
tense. The past tense emphasises that we are talking about something ‘unreal’ This
is similar to the second conditional where we use the past simple to talk about a present
situation. The past tense emphasises that we are talking about something unreal or contrary
to the facts.
Talking about regrets in the past
I wish I’d studied harder when I was at school. (He didn’t study hard when he was
at school. So that is why he is regretting an action or inaction in the past.)
.
Both wish and if only are followed by the past perfect tense when we talk about past
regrets. This use of wish/if only is similar to third conditional in that it uses the past
perfect to refer to something which is contrary to the facts in the past.
Moving on to Wish/if only and would
You wish somebody would do something.
We use wish + would to talk about something in the present that we would like to change
– usually something that we find annoying.
I wish it would stop raining. you would like it to change but you don't expect it to happen.
Or To complain about a situation.
I wish somebody would answer the phone. Its been ringing for ages!
Or To complain about things that people do repeatedly.
I wish you wouldn’t borrow my clothes without asking.
Note that we can only use wish + would to talk about things we can’t change.
Now let's look at wish/if only + could: we use this form to express a regret when you
can't do something in the present.
I'm sorry I have to go. I wish I could stay longer. ( you can't stay longer)
Or a regret that you couldn't do something in the past.
I hear the concert was great. I wish I could have gone.
Finally let's look at hope. so we saw at the beginning of the video hope compared to wish.
when you wish somebody something, like we wish you a merry christmas But you cannot
say you wish that something happens. In this situation we use hope.
Hope plus present /future tense has a future meaning especially when the subject of the
two clauses is different.
I hope you have a good holiday.
If there is only one subject to a sentence we often use hope + infinitive .
He hopes to be a vet in the future. ( he hopes he'll become a vet in the future)
We can use hope when we want something to be true about the past, but we don't know
if it is true.
I hope you had a good holiday. ( but I don't know if you had a good holiday)
To summarize.
How to choose if its hope or wish?
Generally if its optimistic then use hope. I hope the sun shines this afternoon so we
can go for a picnic.
If its pessimistic about something happening, or sure it won't happen use wish.
Talking about the present situation? Use wish + past simple. I wish I lived in Oxford.
Talking about past time? Use wish + past perfect. I wish I hadn't lied.
Talking about something you would like to happen or somehting you would like someone
to do. Use wish + would. I wish you wouldn't shout.
Now its your turn.
Are these sentences right or wrong?
I wish I would have more free time.
I wish I had more free time. Talking about the present and a situation you would like
to change but can't. use wish + past simple.
I wish I didn't eat the last piece of cake. I feel sick now!
Hadn't eaten. For regrets in the past use wish + past perfect.
I wish the weather will change. I hate the cold.
Use wish + Would to talk about something in the present that we would like to change.
But can't.
I've met that girl before. I wish I would remember her name.
Use wish + could for regret that you can't do something in the present.
If only I didn't break his heart.
Hadn't broken use the wish + past perfect to talk about regrets in the past. Remember
if only means the same as wish but is when you really wish something to happen. It expresses
a strong feeling.
6. I wish you have a good holiday.
Hope. When you want something to happen. Remember you wish somebody soemthing.
Congratulations, you now know how to use wish, if only and hope in English.
Remember to like this video if you found it useful, share it with your friends and colleagues
learning English and subscrib to my channel Oxfor English Now so as not to miss out on
free english language videos out every Friday. Thank you for watching.
wish, if only, hope