deep confusion

[ripley]

Hi everybody,
I am sorry but I still have problems with "desires"
I don't understand why I can say
I wish I had a car
and according to Casiopea I can't say " i wish I bought a car".
Armion answered my thread saying that he is dead sure I can say
I wish I went to London ;
so i can't understand where and why I am wrong when I use the simple past with the verb "buy", what about other verbs such as "go" / I wish I went..; I wish I studied, and so on..)
I'm referring to the present with all my sentences ( I don't mean I wish I had bought, or I wish I had gone...)
Sorry if I am annoying you all..Rip.

[Casiopea]

Don't be deeply confused, Ripley. You are right about using the simple past , but please take notice, though, of the meaning expressed by "I wish" + simple past.

Present tense: put the verb in the past tense:
EX: I wish I bought a bettercar than the one I have now. (i.e., I have a car)
EX: I wish I had a better car than the one I have now. (i.e., I have a car)
EX: I wish I went to London last year. (i.e., I went to London, but not last year)

Past tense: put the verb in the past perfect:
EX: I wish I had bought a car. (Note, I didn't buy a car)

Future: use "would":
EX: I wish I would buy a car.

[Francois]

When you say "I've bought a car", you're refering as much to the present as to the past. With "wish", the present perfect becomes past perfect, but this is the same idea. Therefore, when you say "I wish I had bought a car", you're actually regreting that you don't have a car that you bought now.

FRC