I wish she gave/would give

[wuwo1]

Hello,

I did some exercises on the use of 'wish' and according to the answer key it should be:
I like my new boss but I wish she would give me some more responsibility.
I think that it's possible to say:
I like my new boss but I wish she gave me some more responsibility.

Is it correct to use the past simple?

 

[MikeNewYork]

Both sentences work for me.

 

[2006]

Hello,

I did some exercises on the use of 'wish' and according to the answer key it should be:
I like my new boss but I wish she would give me some more responsibility.
I think that it's possible to say:
I like my new boss but I wish she gave me some more responsibility.

Is it correct to use the past simple?

Many native speakers would say "she gave me" in that sentence, so from that point of view it is correct. But "she would give me" certainly seems more logical, and that's what I would say.
Some odd use of past tense is one of the features of the English language.

 

[Matthew Wai]

My above deleted message was "'gave' is the past subjunctive which means she doesn't give, is it correct?"

 

[Roman55]

Many native speakers would say "she gave me" in that sentence, so from that point of view it is correct.

I am not a teacher.

I would never say, "I wish she gave me..."

 

[Raymott]

I'd say it's OK. It's the past subjunctive.
I should clarify a point about this. Recently, I think I said that a sentence like 1) "I wish she came to the party" was wrong. This might appear to be a contradiction, if 2) "I wish she gave me more responsibility" is correct.
The difference is that 1) refers to a one-time present situation which is counterfactual, and 2) refers to an ongoing present and future (or timeless) situation which is still possible. For 1) you need, "I wish she had come..." or "I wish she would come..." depending on whether the party is over yet.
I realise that other people use the subjunctive differently or not at all, so it's just my opinion.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Yes, I agree that is subjunctive. It is sometimes called the "wish subjunctive".