wish + past simple / past perfect / would (Murphy Unit 41)
Pattern
Section titled “Pattern”“I wish” expresses that reality ≠ the desired state. The tense after “wish” depends on WHEN the reality is wrong.
| Pattern | Use | Time | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| wish + past simple | regret about present / future | now / soon | I wish I had more time. (present) / I wish we didn’t have to go out now. (present) |
| wish + past perfect | regret about the past | before now | I wish I had studied harder. (in the past, I didn’t) |
| wish + would | complaint about someone else’s habit (present/future) | now / always | I wish you would stop talking. / I wish it would stop raining. |
The three patterns in detail
Section titled “The three patterns in detail”1. wish + past simple = present/future regret
Section titled “1. wish + past simple = present/future regret”The reality is wrong right now or soon. The speaker wants the present situation different.
- I wish I had more time. (now, I have too little)
- I wish we didn’t have to go out now. (now, we must)
- I wish it weren’t raining. (now, it is)
- I wish I knew the answer. (now, I don’t)
Note: use were for all subjects in formal/standard English (I wish I were). I wish I was is informal/AmE.
2. wish + past perfect = past regret
Section titled “2. wish + past perfect = past regret”The reality was wrong in the past. The speaker wants the past to have been different.
- I wish I had studied harder. (in the past, I didn’t)
- I wish we hadn’t gone to the party. (we did, the speaker regrets it now)
- I wish she had told me earlier. (she didn’t, I regret it now)
- I wish I had listened to my parents. (past failure)
The implied meaning: I’m sad NOW because of what I DIDN’T do THEN.
3. wish + would = complaint about others
Section titled “3. wish + would = complaint about others”The reality is that someone/something keeps doing something annoying. The speaker wants them to change.
- I wish you would stop talking. (you keep talking, please stop)
- I wish it would stop raining. (rain keeps falling)
- I wish she would listen to me. (she never listens)
- I wish the neighbors would be quieter. (they’re always loud)
Important: the subject after “wish” must be different from the subject of the complaint:
- I wish you would stop. ✓ (I want YOU to change)
- I wish I would stop. ✗ (you can’t make yourself do something by wishing — use I wish I could stop or I wish I stopped)
Quick test
Section titled “Quick test”Ask: “When is the reality wrong?”
| When | Pattern |
|---|---|
| Now / soon | wish + past simple |
| In the past | wish + past perfect |
| Always (someone’s habit) | wish + would |
Common traps
Section titled “Common traps”- Don’t use past perfect for present regret. I wish I had more time is present (now). I wish I had had more time would mean you had more time in the past (and now you don’t, or you did then and lost it).
- Don’t use past simple for past regret. I wish I studied harder is wrong. I wish I had studied harder is correct for past regret.
- Don’t use “wish + would” for your own behavior. You can’t wish yourself to do something — use could instead. I wish I could stop smoking (not I wish I would stop).
- Don’t confuse with “if only” — same grammar rules apply, just different opening. If only I had more time = I wish I had more time.
Test application
Section titled “Test application”We have to go out now and I don’t want to go. I wish we ___ to go out now.
Answer: didn’t have.
The wish is about the present moment (“now”) — we currently have to go out, and the speaker wants that to be different. Use wish + past simple, with negation to flip the meaning: didn’t have to (the wished-for state) vs the reality have to (the actual state).
Why not the others:
- hadn’t had (past perfect) — would mean the regret is about the past, but the sentence says “now”
- wouldn’t have (wish + would) — would be a complaint about a recurring situation, but the speaker isn’t complaining about someone’s habit, they’re stating a current wish
- didn’t have had — grammatically broken (two past forms in sequence, no use for it)
Source
Section titled “Source”Raymond Murphy, English Grammar in Use (4th ed.), Unit 41 — Wish. Ebot lesson 2026-08-29: “I wish we ___ to go out now” with answer didn’t have (wish + past simple for present regret). User asked about “two patterns” — actually three: past simple (present), past perfect (past), would (complaint).