In English, we often use the past tense (i.e. past simple, past continuous, past perfect, would and could) to express a 'hypothetical' meaning. Hypothetical, in linguistic terms, means talking about an imaginary, unrealistic or possible (perhaps in another context, but not right now) situation. The past tense verb itself does NOT mean that the action is taking place in the past (i.e. past time), but can take place at any time; the past, present or future. The precise grammatical form, as well as accompanying time phrases and context, will make it clear WHEN the action is taking place.
For example:
A: Do you have a ticket for tonight's big lottery? B: Yeah, of course! What would you do if you won? A: Oh, that's easy. I would pay off my credit card bill.
In this dialogue, the hypothetical situation is "What would you do if you won?". You can see that all the verbs in this sentence are in the past tense; past modal and past simple to be precise. Contextually, we can see that this sentence is referring to a future time (i.e. the lottery is tonight, and spending the money takes place after). We use the past tense in this case to refer to a situation that is highly unlikely, almost like a dream or an imaginary situation. If you want to think about it in statistical terms, the chance of winning a big lottery is roughly 1 in 10,000,000 (or 0.00001%).
Consequently, it is much more natural to use past tenses in this dialogue. It is unnatural and illogical to express the same dialogue using present tenses. "What will you do if you win?" would express the meaning that it is possible, realistic and likely to win the lottery. Wouldn't that be a great place to live in? (notice the would in this question)
There are a number of grammatical functions that follow this concept. In this first part of this series of lessons, we will focus on:
Wish / If Only
All WISH structures follow this basic form:
The verb 'wish' can take any tense depending on your meaning and intention. Following the 'that', which is optional, you need a subject (who or what you are talking about) and a past tense verb. The tense you use will change the meaning of the wish.
There are five main functions of WISH plus a few exceptions.
WISH + PAST SIMPLE
We use WISH + PAST SIMPLE to talk about a desire for something to be different in the present. This is an unrealistic and imaginary situation at the time of speaking.
I wish I was tall enough to play basketball.
Sally wishes there were more parks in her neighbourhood.
The parents wish that drivers around the school drove more slowly.
WISH + PAST CONTINUOUS
We use WISH + PAST CONTINUOUS (= was/were + verb-ing) to talk about long actions (actions that take time to complete) and actions that are happening right now (if it's an action verb). These are things we want to be doing or want to be happening now, but is impossible at the present time.
I wish we were lying on a beach in Bora Bora right now.
David wishes he were teaching in Korea instead.
The class wishes they were travelling by plane instead of the old bus they are in.
WISH + COULD
We use WISH + COULD to talk about ability (or skills), possibility or permission in the present time. These things are unrealistic at the present time, but may be able to happen in the future.
I wish I could play the guitar and sing at the same time.
Susan wishes she could take a holiday, but she's too busy at the moment.
The team wished their manager could afford new equipment.
WISH + WOULD
We use WISH + WOULD to talk about things, events or people that annoy or inconvenience us (i.e. to complain about them). This takes place in the present.
I'm sick and tired of this weather. I wish it would stop raining.
George wishes his roommate would stop leaving dirty dishes in the sink for days.
Cyclists wish drivers would pay more attention to the riders who share the road with them.
You need to be careful with this structure as the following sentences are not possible:
I wish I wouldn't sleep through my alarm every morning.
Jack wishes he (Jack) wouldn't get so shy in front of his coworkers.
Basically, you cannot use this structure when the speaker is complaining or being annoyed about themselves. You have to complain about somebody or something else. To get around this problem, you can use WISH + COULD or WISH + PAST SIMPLE.
I wish I could get up to my alarm every morning. I wish I didn't sleep through my alarm every morning.
Jack wishes he could speak in front of his coworkers. Jack wishes he weren't so shy in front of his coworkers.
WISH + PAST PERFECT
We use WISH + PAST PERFECT to talk about a desire for something to be different in the past. Often, this shows regret or that you feel bad about something that happened in the past.
I wish I had listened to my parents and studied harder. (= I didn't listen to my parents and I was a lazy student)
Sarah wishes she hadn't studied architecture. (= Sarah did study architecture and that was a mistake)
The tour group wished the driver had taken the highway instead of the back road. (= The driver took the back roads which ended up being much slower than the highway)
IF ONLY
IF ONLY means "I wish...". Using this tends to have a more dramatic or emphatic effect, and is common in story telling or literature. It can be used with any WISH function where it starts with "I wish". Extra context has been added to the second sentence for effect.
I wish she were nicer to me. If only she were nicer to me. I can't stop thinking about her.
I wish it would stop raining. If only it would stop raining. I want to go out.
I wish I hadn't given away the painting. It's worth double now. If only I hadn't given away the painting.
OTHER WISH FORMS
WISH is often used in fixed expressions such as:
I WISH YOU + OBJECT
I wish you a Merry Christmas.
I wish you long life and happiness. (= on someone's birthday)
I wish you all the best. (= farewell of a colleague)
WISH can also be used in this form:
WISH + TO INFINITIVE
This is unacceptable. I wish to speak to the manager immediately.
It is my understanding that you wish to plead guilty.
WISH + TO INFINITIVE means "want to" or "would like to". More often than not, it tends to sound a little old-fashioned, formal or polite. Be careful not to confuse the following:
I wish I knew the answer. (= I don't know the answer.)
I wish to know the answer. (= Please tell me the answer.)
WISH GRAMMAR and USE OF ENGLISH
If WISH grammar appears in the Use of English section, it will most likely appear in Part 4. Forms that feature auxiliary verbs or (semi-) modal verbs are more frequent because of the increased chance to make a mistake (i.e. it's more difficult).
Let's have a look at a couple of examples.
Use of English Part 4 example:
Sally wishes she hadn't thrown away her old handbag.
DISPOSING
Sally _______________________________ her old handbag.
(scroll down for answer)
ANSWER:
Sally regrets disposing of her old handbag.
In this example, we are going from WISH grammar to VERB PATTERN grammar, with a dependent preposition added to the mix. As with all types of these questions, it could be down in reverse order, with you having to produce the WISH grammar.
Let's take this question one step further. Imagine the sentence is now:
Sally regrets disposing of her old handbag as she would like to use tonight.
AWAY
If Sally _________________ handbag, she would be able to use it tonight.
(scroll down for answer)
ANSWERS:
If Sally hadn't thrown away her old handbag, she would be able to use it tonight.
Now we have gone from VERB PATTERN grammar to CONDITIONAL grammar. We can see that there is a close relationship between WISH, VERB PATTERNS and CONDITIONAL grammar, which makes it very popular in Use of English Part 4.
That concludes the first part of PAST TENSES FOR HYPOTHETICAL MEANING. Make sure to check out the next part which will cover "IT'S TIME" and "WOULD RATHER".