I wish / If only

I WISH / IF ONLY

WISHES

WISHES

a) To wish for an ability now or in the future. I wish I could play the guitar! (Ojalá pudiera tocar la guitarra) If only I could dance like that! (Ojalá pudiera bailar así)

• I wish / If only + COULD + Infinitive verb

WISHES

b) To wish that something could be true at the moment. I wish I had long hair! (Ojalá tuviera el pelo largo) If only I were taller! (Ojalá fuera más alto)

• I wish / If only + VERB (Past Simple)

WISHES

c) To wish that something was happening at the moment. I wish I was lying on the beach right now! If only I was lying on the beach right now! (Ojalá estuviera tumbado en la playa ahora mismo)

• I wish / If only + VERB (Past Continuous)

REGRETS

REGRETS

d) To wish that something kept happening again and again, or to wish it could stop happening. I wish you wouldn’t shout so loudly. (Ojalá no gritaras tan fuerte)

• I wish / If only + subject + WOULD / WOULDN'T + Infinitive

REGRETS

e) To wish that something in the past had happened in a different way. I wish I had studied for my exam! (Ojalá hubiera estudiado para mi examen) If only I hadn’t argued with him! (Ojalá no hubiera discutido con él)

• I wish / If only + subject + HAD + Past Participle (3rd Column)

THANK YOU!