Name: Making Wishes in English | How to Use the Verb 'Wish' Correctly!
Uploaded: 2025-08-06T07:37:45.000Z
Duration: 7 min 56 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

The comparative

You know, lots of people wish for more money, a nicer home, or a better job.

To-infinitive

We can use wish anytime we want something that isn't real.

Let's watch some real situations with people using the verb wish in English.

Stick around until the end for a short lesson.

I wish you would stop dreaming and move along like you said.

I wish I spent more time with my grandchildren.

I wish we didn't have to go home so early.

I wish I could have an ice cream, but no, not today.

I wish I hadn't brought this stupid umbrella.

I can't believe you cheated on your test.

I wish you had told me you were having problems with math.

We'll make sure you get the support you need.

Luca got in trouble at school, and I had to speak with his teacher.

I wish I was still young enough to get in trouble every now and then.

Keep forgetting to move along, and you will be in trouble, all right?

When we wish for something, we have to go back in time.

I don't have a pet cat, but I love cats, and I want one.

If the reality is in present tense, like in this example, then we will use past tense for the wish.

I work in a restaurant, but I hate my job.

Using past tense, I might say, I wish I worked in a store.

I can also say, I wish I didn't work in a restaurant.

Remember, the reality is a positive sentence in the present.

So when we wish for the opposite, it has to be a negative sentence in the past.

Let's take a minute to talk about the verb to be.

So if I am tired, I can say, I wish I wasn't tired.

But you can also say, I wish I weren't tired.

I wish I wasn't and I wish I weren't are both commonly used, but weren't is a bit more formal.

For example, I didn't see my brother yesterday.

So when we make a wish, we have to use past perfect.

Remember, wishes can be positive or negative.

So if you make a mistake that you regret, you can say, I wish I hadn't done that.

Finally, we can make wishes for the future.

Remember, the verb wish is used when you want reality to be different.

So when we wish for the future, we are wishing that something happening in the present will change in the future.

For example, it is raining now and I want it to stop.

I wish Bob would come to our meetings on time.

Here are a few more examples for you to practice on your own.

Feel free to pause the video while you think about the wishes you could make.

Don't forget to like and subscribe, and leave a comment to let us know what you wish for.

Subtitles ListPlay Video

Making Wishes in English | How to Use the Verb 'Wish' Correctly!

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