These two verbs, while they are similar in meaning, are not at all the same grammatically. The verb hope is used to indicate something that possibly happened or will possibly happen. The verb wish is used to indicate something that definitely did not happen or definitely will not happen. The verb hope can be followed by any tense. The verb wish mush not be followed by any present tense verb or present tense auxiliary. Be sure that you understand the difference in the following sentence with wish and hope.
For example:
- We hope that they will come. (We don’t know if they are coming.)
- We wish that they could come. (They are not coming)
- We hope that they came yesterday. (We don’t know if they came.)
- We wish that they had come yesterday. (They didn’t come.)
Remember that wish is very similar to a contrary to fact or unreal condition.
- Present unreal condition: If I were rich, I would be very happy.
- Present wish: I wish I were rich.
- Past unreal condition: If you had been here last night, we would have enjoyed it.
- Past wish: We wish that you had been here last night.
Note: In the following rules, notice that the word that is optional.
Future wish structure
Subject can be the same or different.
- We wish that you could come to the party to night. (You can’t come.)
- I wish that you would stop saying that. (You probably won’t stop.)
- She wishes that she were coming with us. (She is not coming with us)
Present wish structure
For example:
- I wish that I had enough time to finish my homework.(I don’t have enough time.)
- We wish that he were old enough to come with us.(He is not old enough.)
- They wish that they didn’t have to go to class today.(They have to go to class.)
Past wish structure
For example of past wish:
- I wish that I had washed the clothes yesterday.(I didn’t wash the clothes.)
- She wishes that she could have been there.(She couldn’t be there.)
- We wish that we had more time last night.(We didn’t have more time.)
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