041 : wish

   A   

You can say 'I wish you luck / all the best / a happy birthday' etc.:

• I wish you all the best in the future.
• I saw Mark before the exam and he wished me luck.

 

We say 'wish somebody something' (luck / a happy birthday etc.). But you cannot say 'I wish that something happens'. We use hope in this situation. For example:

• I'm sorry you're not well. I hope you feel better soon. (not I wish you feel)

 

Compare I wish and I hope:

• I wish you a pleasant stay here.
• I hope you have a pleasant stay here. (not I wish you have)

 

 

   B   

We also use wish to say that we regret something, that something is not as we would like it. When we use wish in this way, we use the past (knew/lived etc.), but the meaning is present:

• I wish I knew what to do about the problem. (I don't know and I regret this)
• I wish you didn't have to go so soon. (you have to go)
• Do you wish you lived near the sea? (you don't live near the sea)
• Jack's going on a trip to Mexico soon. I wish I was going too. (I'm not going)

 

To say that we regret something in the past, we use wish + had ... (had known / had said) etc. :

• I wish I'd known about the party. I would have gone if I'd known. (I didn't know)
• It was a stupid thing to say. I wish I hadn't said it. (I said it)    ※ It was a stupid thing to say. (댓글 참고)

 

 

For more examples, see Units 39 and 40.

 

 

   C   

I wish I could (do something) = I regret that I cannot do it:

• I'm sorry I have to go. I wish I could stay longer. (but I can't)
• I've met that man before. I wish I could remember his name. (but I can't)

I wish I could have (done something) = I regret that I could not do it:

• I hear the party was great. I wish I could have gone. (but I couldn't go)

 

 

   D   

You can say 'I wish something would happen'. For example:

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It's been raining all day. Tanya doesn't like it. She says:

 

I wish it would stop raining.

 

Tanya would like the rain to stop, but this will probably not happen.

 

 

We use I wish ... would when we would like something to happen or change. Usually, the speaker doesn't expect this to happen.

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We often use I wish ... would to complain about a situation:

• The phone has been ringing for five minutes. I wish somebody would answer it.
• I wish you'd do (= you would do) something instead of just sitting and doing nothing.

You can use I wish ... wouldn't to complain about things that people do repeatedly:

• I wish you wouldn't keep interrupting me. (= please don't interrupt me)

 

We use I wish ... would ... to say that we want something to happen. But we do not use I wish ... would ... to say how we would like things to be. Compare:

• I wish Sarah would come. (= I want her to come)
  but  I wish Sarah was (or were) here now. (not I wish Sarah would be)
• I wish somebody would buy me a car.
  but  I wish I had a car. (not I wish I would have)

 

 

 

 

※ wish to do something :

 

: (especially British English, formal) to want to do something; to want something to happen

 

즉, (Unit 41A)의 의미로 'wish to do something' 의 형태도 가능하다.

• You may stay until morning, if you wish.
• ‘I’d rather not talk now.’ ‘(Just) as you wish.’

 

• wish to do something  This course is designed for people wishing to update their computer skills.
• I wish to speak to the manager.
• I don't wish (= I don't mean) to be rude, but could you be a little quieter?

 

• wish somebody something  She could not believe that he wished her harm.
• wish somebody/something to do something  He was not sure whether he wished her to stay or go.

 

 

(Unit 49C) 에 실린 예문 :

• To whom do you wish to speak?