Expressing desire and wish: I wish I were / I had

🔊 المعلّمة تقرأ لك

« It's so chancy. I wish he weren't so set on it. » Mr Harris does not like his son's choice of becoming an artist — but he cannot change it. So he wishes: he imagines the opposite of what is. You already know wish; this lesson makes sure you can use I wish I were and I wish I had to talk about the present, and tell them from the other forms of wish. So which verb form follows I wish?

🎓في نهاية هذا الدرس ستكون قادرا على:

التعبير عن أمنية تخالف الواقع الحاضر بـ ⁦I wish I were⁩ و ⁦I wish I had⁩ و ⁦I wish I could⁩
استعمال ⁦were⁩ مع جميع الضمائر بعد ⁦I wish⁩، و ⁦was⁩ في الكلام العاديّ
التمييز بين الأمنية في الحاضر ⁦(wish + past simple)⁩ وفي الماضي ⁦(wish + past perfect)⁩ وفي المستقبل ⁦(wish + would)⁩
كتابة أمنيات عن النفس: الشكل، والطبع، والقدرات، والممتلكات

🔑يفترض هذا الدرس أنّك تتقن:

الماضي البسيط للفعلين ⁦be⁩ و ⁦have⁩
الماضي التامّ
الفعلان الناقصان ⁦could⁩ و ⁦would⁩

1. I wish I were, I wish I had: a wish about the present

نعبّر بـ ⁦wish⁩ متبوعة بالماضي البسيط عن ندم على وضع حاضر، بتخيّل عكسه. وبعد ⁦I wish⁩ نستعمل ⁦were⁩ مع جميع الضمائر.

We use wish + past simple to express a regret about a present situation, by imagining its opposite: « I wish I had a car. » (but I haven't got one) « I wish you were here. » (but you are not here) The past simple refers to the present. After I wish, were is often used instead of was, with every person, especially in formal English: « I wish he were with me now. » In informal spoken English, was is possible: « I wish I was on holiday now. » For an ability, use could: « I wish I could play the flute. » (but I can't)

Five wishes

1. I wish he weren't so set on it. 2. I wish there were an art school in my neighbourhood. 3. I wish I had taken your advice six months ago. 4. I wish I could help you with the maths lesson. 5. I wish William would change his mind soon.

Task 1 — A. Which sentence expresses a wish about the past? What tense is used? B. Which sentences express a wish about the present? C. Which sentence expresses a wish about the future? D. Which tense expresses a wish about the present?

أيّ الجمل أمنية عن الماضي، وأيّها عن الحاضر، وأيّها عن المستقبل؟ وما الزمن المستعمل في كلّ حالة؟

Sentence	After wish	The wish is about
1. he weren't so set on it	past simple: weren't	the present
2. there were an art school	past simple: were	the present
3. I had taken your advice	past perfect: had taken	the past
4. I could help you	could	the present
5. William would change his mind	would	the future

A. Sentence 3, with the past perfect. B. Sentences 1, 2 and 4. C. Sentence 5, with would: a change we want from someone else. D. The past simple (were, weren't, could) expresses a wish about the present.

Task 2 — « I wish he weren't so set on it. » Why weren't, and not wasn't? Is the wish about the past?

لماذا ⁦weren’t⁩ لا ⁦wasn’t⁩؟ وهل الأمنية عن الماضي؟

After I wish, were is used with every person — he included — especially in formal English; wasn't would be possible in informal speech. And the wish is not about the past: the past form refers to the present. William is set on becoming an artist now, and his father wishes he were not.

2. The wish chart

الأمنية تتعلّق بكلّ ما نريده مختلفا الآن: الشكل، والطبع، والقدرات، والممتلكات. نستعمل ⁦were⁩ و ⁦had⁩ و ⁦could⁩ و ⁦would⁩.

A wish can be about anything you would like to be different now: your physical appearance, your character, your abilities, your possessions. Choose the verb that fits: were for what you are, had for what you have, could for what you can do, would for a change you want from someone else.

Fill in the chart with sentences expressing a wish. Use wish + were, had, could or would.

Physical appearance: I wish I were taller. Then … Character and personality: … Abilities: … Possessions: …

Task 3 — a model chart

نموذج للجدول: أمنية لكلّ مجال.

Area	A wish
physical appearance	I wish I were taller. Then I could play basketball.
character and personality	I wish I were more patient with my little brother.
abilities	I wish I could speak three languages.
possessions	I wish I had a computer of my own.

Each wish imagines the opposite of the present: I am not tall, I am not patient, I cannot speak three languages, I have no computer.

3. A wish poem

قصيدة الأمنيات: أسطر تبدأ بـ ⁦I wish⁩ وتتوافق كلماتها الأخيرة في القافية.

Wishes can also rhyme. A wish poem is built on lines that begin with I wish, and whose last words sound alike: brain, strain. Pay attention to the meaning, and to the rhyme.

Do this alone, in writing. Think about wishes related to studying, and complete this stanza, paying attention to meaning and rhyme: « I wish I had a computer in my brain To free me from calculating strain. I wish my …………… …………… » Then check your lines: a past form after I wish, and two last words that rhyme.

أكمل وحدك المقطع بأمنية تتعلّق بالدراسة، مع مراعاة المعنى والقافية.

A model answer

I wish I had a computer in my brain To free me from calculating strain. I wish my memory were a book That opened when I needed a look. had for a possession, were for a state — and the last words rhyme: brain, strain; book, look.

In the exam, wish is tested with a verb in brackets or by rewriting: « I'm sorry I can't help you » becomes « I wish I could help you »; « I regret not taking your advice » becomes « I wish I had taken your advice ». Have three things ready: ① wish + past simple for the present — were for every person, had, could; ② wish + past perfect for the past; ③ wish + would for a change you want from someone else. The frequent mistake is to keep the present after wish: never « I wish I am taller » — write I wish I were taller.

What I keep — To wish that the present were different, I use wish + past simple: I wish I were taller, I wish I had a car, I wish I could play the flute. After I wish, were goes with every person (I wish he were here); was is possible in informal speech. For the past, wish + past perfect (I wish I had taken your advice); for a change I want from someone else, wish + would (I wish William would change his mind).

الصفحة 1/4