Unreal uses of past tenses I wish… If only… Unreal uses of past tenses

WISH + PAST SIMPLE: wishes about the present To talk about things we would like to be different in the present/future (but which are impossible or unlikely). I can’t buy a new house. I wish I were rich. (But I’m not) With COULD, to talk about possibilities or abilities you want to change. I wish I could speak Russian, but I only speak Spanish. Wish+ person/thing + would to talk about things you want to change because they annoy you. (a wish about the future) I wish you would listen to me!

WISH + PAST PERFCT: regrets To talk about things which happened/didn’t happen in the past and which we now regret. I wish I hadn’t spoken to Jane like that – you know how sensitive she is. I wish I could have done more to help you.

IF ONLY… Instead of wish with the past simple and past perfect. It can be used by itself (If only I knew!) or with another clause. It can show more emotion than I wish. If only I knew the answer! If only you hadn’t forgotten the map, we’d be there by now.

REPLIES We can either talk about a real situation or a hypothetical one, and that afects your choice of tenses. A: I wish you had said something. B: I would have (said it) /hypothetical situation/ but I thought everything was going fine. 1: If only we had the time…! 2: Yeah, but we don’t /real situation/, so be practical and move on. Z: I wish you would tell me when there’s a problem! Y: I would /hypothetical situation/ but everytime I have tried to do so you wouldn’t listen to me. /real situation/

Reminder of other structures that require the use of past tenses

WOULD RATHER and WOULD PREFER would rather + subject + past tense To express a preference. I would rather you smoked outside. He would rather you didn’t waste your money. They would rather she hadn’t wasted so much money. would rather + infinitive To express a preference BUT the subject is the same. (DON’T USE to) I would rather have a salad. I would rather not talk about the exam. would prefer + infinitive She would prefer you not to waste your money. She would prefer you not to have invested …

IT’S TIME It’s time + subject + past simple To talk about something that should already have happened or to show that something should happen soon. Don’t you think it’s time you found a job? We can use it’s time + infinitive when it is the right time to do something. It’s time to go. It’s late. We sometimes use high before time for emphasis. It’s high time the Government did something about unemployment.