Wish en inglés

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August 9, 2013

Wish en inglés ¿sabes qué significa?

Today I would like to explain to you how to use “I wish”

as well as the verb regret.

“I wish” means “ojalá”, “ya me gustaría”.

RULES:

I wish + past simple = sometimes possible and sometimes impossible

Example: I wish I was taller (impossible to get) I wish I won the lottery (possible to get)

Cuando tenemos el verbo to be, podemos utilizar was y were con las personas I/he/she.

I wish I was/were taller = esto es así porque es un sentido hipotético, cuando esto ocurre,
were se puede utilizar también con I y la 3ª persona del singular.

I wish + past perfect (had + past participle) = always impossible, it’s past
Example: I studied French at school. I wish I had studied English as I could find a
better job now (impossible to get-it’s past)

“Regret” is a verb which means “lamentarse”, “arrepentirse”.

RULES:

1. Regret + -ing = arrepentirse de algo (algo que se hizo en el pasado)

Ejemplo: I regret studying biology when I was at university as I can’t find a job now.

Me gusta explicar esto de la siguiente manera para que el alumno lo entienda bien. Nos
preguntamos: When do I regret? = now y When did I study biology? = in the past. Tenemos
por tanto present (now) y past, cuando esto ocurra, Regret + ing (el ing indica el pasado).

Otro ejemplo: I regret going to the cinema last week. I didn’t like the film at all. Hacemos la
prueba: When do I regret? = now y When did I go to the cinema? = last week = past.

2. Regret + to + say/ tell = lamento decirte / informarte / comunicarte de o siento

decirte/ informarte/ comunicarte

Ejemplo: I regret to tell you that we can’t go away for the weekend because I have to work.

En este caso regret suele aparecer con los verbos say y tell. Hacemos las preguntas de
nuevo: When do I regret? = now y When am I going to tell you something? = now.
Tenemos entonces present y present,por tanto, regret + to.

Si es negativo, simplemente añadimos not delante de -ing Example: I regret not telling my
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father the truth.

EXERCISE:

1. I wish I ________________ speak English (can)

2. I wish I ________________ a new car (have)
3. I regret ________________ to the party as I saw my ex-wife (go)
4. I wish I ________________ my father about failing my English exam as he is furious
with me (tell)
5. I wish I ________________ play a musical instrument (can)
6. I regret ________________ you that you have an exam (tell)
7. I regret ________________ engineering like my mother. I would be an engineer now
like her (study)
8. I wish I ________________ rich (be)
9. I regret ________________ my house in Madrid, I don’t like the city, it’s quite noisy
and stressing (buy)
10. I wish I ________________ my house in Madrid, I don’t like the city, it’s quite noisy
and stressing (buy)

KEYS:

1. I wish I __could________ speak English (can)

2. I wish I __had_________ a new car (have)
3. I regret ___going_______ to the party as I saw my ex-wife (go)
4. I wish I __hadn’t told_____ my father about failing my English exam as he is furious
with me (tell)
5. I wish I ___could________ play a musical instrument (can)
6. I regret ___to tell________ you that you have an exam (tell)
7. I regret __not_studying___ engineering like my mother. I would be an engineer now
like her (study)
8. I wish I __was/were______ rich (be)
9. I regret __buying________ my house in Madrid, I don’t like the city, it’s quite noisy
and stressing (buy)
10. I wish I ___I hadn’t bought___ my house in Madrid, I don’t like the city, it’s quite
noisy and stressing (buy)

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