1. I wish Tasmanian tigers hadn't become extinct (I wish structure)

Reflexión

By Mangostar. Public domain

As you have noticed in the self-assessment activity of the previous section, what Paco wanted to express with his thought, "I wish we had a place like this in Spain", is a wish. Paco would like to have an area like Tasmania in Spain. In order to do so, Paco has used

I wish + Phrase (Subject + Past Simple)

What would Paco want to express if he said "I wish Tasmanian tigers hadn't become extinct"?

Important

So, up to now, we have seen two different structures and uses of the structure with "I wish"

I wish +

Past Simple

Past Perfect

To express:

wish

(for the present or past)

regret

(always refers to the past)

E.g.

I wish I were rich.

I wish Paco had taken me with him.

Yet, a third use must be studied. Have a look at these structure:

I wish +

would/could + verb

To express:

- a complaint about a behaviour that you disapprove of

- impatience, annoyance or dissatisfaction with a present action

E.g.

I wish Andrés wouldn't arrive late all the time.

note: WE CANNOT USE THIS STRUCTURE IF THE SUBJECT IN BOTH CLAUSES IS THIS SAME:

I wish I would remember to tidy up

I wish I remembered to tidy up √

Exactly the same is meant if the structure of these sentences begin by "If only..." instead of "I wish..." Taking that into account, if Paco had said "If only Tasmanian tigers hadn't become extinct" he would have meant exactly the same.

So, remember: