Category: ESL

wish

‘I wish you luck / all the best / a happy birthday’ etc.:

I wish you all the best in the future.
Wish me luck.

‘wish somebody something’ (luck I a happy birthday etc.).

Cannot say ‘I wish that something happens’. We use hope in this situation.

For example:

Compare I wish and I hope:

I wish you a pleasant stay here.
I hope you have a pleasant stay here. (not I wish you have)

We also use wish to say that we regret something, that something is not as we would like it. When we use wish in this way, we use the past (knew/lived etc.), but the meaning is present:

I wish I knew what to do about the problem. (I don’t know and I regret this)

I wish you didn’t have to go so soon. (you have to go)
Do you wish you lived near the sea? (you don’t live near the sea)
Jack’s going on a trip to Mexico soon. I wish I was going too. (I’m not going)

To say that we regret something in the past, we use wish + had … (had known I had said) etc.:

I wish I’d known about the party. I would have gone if I’d known. (I didn’t know)
lt was a stupid thing to say. I wish I hadn’t said it. (I said it)

I wish I could (do something) = I regret that I cannot do it: I’m sorry I have to go. I wish I could stay longer. (but I can’t)

I’ve met that man before. I wish I could remember his name. (but I can’t)

I wish I could have (done something) = I regret that I could not do it:

I hear the party was great. I wish I could have gone. (but I couldn’t go)

‘I wish (somebody) would (do something)’.

For example:

I wish … would when we would like something to happen or change. Usually, the speaker doesn’t expect this to happen.

We often use I wish … would to complain about a situation:
The phone has been ringing for five minutes. I wish somebody would answer it.
I wish you’d do(= you would do) something instead of just sitting and doing nothing.

I wish … wouldn’t … to complain about things that people do repeatedly:

I wish you wouldn’t keep interrupting me. (= please don’t interrupt me)

We use I wish … would … to say that we want something to happen. But we do not use I wish … would … to say how we .

Compare:

I wish Sarah would come. (= I want her to come)

I wish Sarah was (or were) here now. (not I wish Sarah would be)

I wish somebody would buy me a car.

I wish I had a car. (not I wish I would have)

Idioms
I wish! (informal)
used to say that something is impossible or very unlikely, although you would like it to be possible

“You’ll be finished by tomorrow.” “I wish!”

Modal verbs
The modal verbs are can, could, may, might, must, ought to, shall, should, will, and would. Dare, need, have to, and used to also share some of the features of modal verbs.

Can, Could

I can play the piano.
He can play the piano.

Could you open the door, please?

can + V infinitive
can do / can play / can come etc.)

I can do.
I can’t (cannot) do.
Can I do?

I can do something = I know how to do it, it is possible for me to do it.

can = be able to
be able to: will be able to / perfect tenses
I haven’t been able to get much work done today.
She’d love to be able to play the piano.

For the past (yesterday / last week etc.), we use could / couldn’t

Could is used to talk about what someone was generally able to do in the past:

Can you … ? Could you … ?
when we ask people to do things:
Can you open the door, please?
Could you open the door, please?

Can I have … ? Can I get … ?
to ask for something
Can I … ? Could I …? = is it OK to do something?
Can I sit here?

May

May I … ? = Is it OK to …? / Can I …?
May is is used as a polite and fairly formal way than Can.

Must, mustn’t, don’t have to

must + V (must do / must work etc.)

I must (do something) = I need to do it:

For the past (yesterday / last week etc.)
We use had to … (not must)

mustn’t (= must not)

I mustn’t (do something) = it is necessary not to do it, it is the wrong thing to do:
You mustn’t touch the pictures. (= don’t touch the pictures)

don’t need to

I don’t need (to do something) = it is not necessary:
You can also say do’t have to … :

don’t need to
You don’t need to go. You can stay here if you want.

mustn’t
You mustn’t go. You must stay here.