0002 Wish with modal complement

The following examples from the sources demonstrate the use of the verb wish followed by modal preterite complements (using past tense forms to express hypothetical or unreal situations):

Hypothetical Ability or Possibility (using "could")

• "I wish I could see into the future".
• "I wish I could have a house like that".
• "I wish you could stay longer".

Hypothetical Behavior or Situations (using "would")

• "I wish you wouldn’t always sound so negative about everything".
• "I wish they’d make a decision and not keep dragging it out".
• "I wish he would be sensible about this".
• "I wish this headache would go away".

Unreal Present States (using simple preterite "had," "were," or "was")

• "I wish I had a sports car".
• "I wish I was going".
• "I wish he wasn’t here".
• "Do you ever wish you were back in Japan?".
• "He wishes he had more time for his friends".
• "I wish there was a way of making him stop crying".
• "I wish I had your physique".
• "He wished he was at home in a comfy armchair".

Past Regrets (using past perfect/pluperfect)

• "I really wished it had been me instead of him".
• "I wished I had said nothing about Jordi".
• "I wish I had listened to her advice".
• "The film was rather dull and I wished I had stayed at home".