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Old 13-Nov-2004, 12:05
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ripley
Red face "I wish"

Hello everybody,

please help me with these sentences; Mr. Micawber helped me understand the difference in meaning in the use of simple past and would+plus conditional in the sentences with the wish structure.
Nevertheless I need to know if the following sentences are possible or not....
If they are, I'd like to know the meaning implied in eavh of them.......

1. I wish I bought a new car
2. I wish I could buy a new car
3. I wish he didn't come to my house so often
4. I wish I went to London
5. I wish it would be hot weather at the weekend
6. I wish it could be hot weather at the weekend.

Thanks lot from Ripley
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Old 13-Nov-2004, 19:50
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Default re: "I wish"

Say:

I wish I had bought a new car.



The speaker wishes he had a car different from the one he has: a new car.



Re:

I wish I could buy a new car.


The speaker wishes he had the money so he could buy a new car.




Re:
I wish he didn't come to my house so often.



The speaker is talking about someone who he would like to see less often. Especially, he would like to see him less often at his (the speaker's) house.




Say:
I wish I had gone to London.



The speaker regrets not having gone to London.




Say:
I hope it will be hot this weekend.


The speaker is hoping the weather will be very warm on the coming weekend.




Say:
I wish it could be hot this weekend.



The speaker regrets that the weather won't be hot during the coming weekend.


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Old 13-Nov-2004, 20:36
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ripley
Default re: "I wish"

Thank you Ron Bee, but I have one more question; "I wish I bought a new car" was meant as a synonim or a variation of " I wish I could buy" : Is it possible?
Bye. Rip
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Old 13-Nov-2004, 20:38
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ripley
Default re: "I wish"

By the way, is " I wish the weather would be fine" completely wrong?
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Old 14-Nov-2004, 00:38
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Default re: "I wish"

Quote:
Originally Posted by ripley
Thank you Ron Bee, but I have one more question; "I wish I bought a new car" was meant as a synonym or a variation of "I wish I could buy" : Is it possible?
Bye. Rip
I wished (that) I had bought a car, but I didn't. ('had bought' refers to the past)
I wish (that) I could buy a car (modal 'could' refers to possibility: I wish it were possible for me to buy a car)

Note,

EX: I wish I bought a car. ('bought' is not subjunctive in form).
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Old 14-Nov-2004, 01:02
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Default re: "I wish"

Quote:
Originally Posted by ripley
By the way, is " I wish the weather would be fine" completely wrong?
Try 'were',

I wish the weather were fine, but it's not.

Try 'would' with an active verb,

I wish the weather would change, so we could go play some golf.
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Old 14-Nov-2004, 06:48
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ripley
Default re: "I wish"

thanks a lot...

rip
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Old 15-Nov-2004, 10:55
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Default re: "I wish"

You're welcome.
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Old 16-Nov-2004, 06:10
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ripley
Default re: "I wish"

Dear Caiopea, why do you say that bought isn't a subjunctive form. Don't we need a simple past?
Rip.
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Old 16-Nov-2004, 07:54
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Default re: "I wish"

Quote:
Originally Posted by ripley
Dear Caiopea, why do you say that bought isn't a subjunctive form. Don't we need a simple past?
Rip.
The simple past is OK. Please note the meaning it expresses:

EX: I wish I bought a new car. (i.e., I bought a car, but it's second-hand, so my wish now, at the present time, is that I had bought a new car.)
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