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Wishes & Regrets

Wishes and regrets are used to express something we want or wanted to happen but cannot or could not, mainly using the third conditional form

B2Conditionals & Hypotheticals

Rule

Wishes and regrets are sentences that express something we want or wanted to happen but cannot or could not, and the key is to use the correct grammar forms to express these hypothetical situations.

  • The third conditional form was/were + past participle is used to talk about past regrets, like something we wished had happened but did not.
  • The form wish + would is used to express annoyance or irritation about something that often happens.
  • The form wish + past simple is used to talk about something in the present that we are not happy about.

Usage

  • We use wishes and regrets when we want to talk about something that did not happen in the past or is not happening now, and we need to use the correct grammar forms to show this.
  • Wishes and regrets help us to express complex ideas and hypothetical situations in a clear and polite way.
  • Using wishes and regrets correctly shows that we can use English to express our thoughts and feelings in a sophisticated way.

Examples

  • If I had won the lottery, I would buy a house
  • I wish it would stop raining
  • I wish I had studied harder when I was at school
  • If only I had seen that movie, I would have liked it
  • I wish I were on holiday right now
  • If I had not been so tired, I would have gone to the party

Common Mistakes

  • Wrong: I wish I go to the party tonight. Correct: I wish I could go to the party tonight
  • Wrong: If I will win the lottery, I will buy a house. Correct: If I won the lottery, I would buy a house
  • Wrong: I wish I have seen that movie. Correct: I wish I had seen that movie

Tip

A good way to remember the third conditional form is to think of the sentence as having three parts: the condition, the past action, and the present result, and use the correct grammar forms to connect these three parts.

Quick check
If I _____ more time, I would have finished the project on time.

Where this matters in your exam

In IELTS, wishes and regrets are tested in the speaking and writing sections to assess a candidate's ability to express complex ideas and hypothetical situations, like in IELTS Writing Task 2 where a candidate needs to discuss a hypothetical scenario

  • Writing Task 2

    Candidates may need to discuss a hypothetical scenario where they express wishes or regrets about a given topic