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Nugso Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
Wish
Hello all.
According to the paper I have, wish can be used in 3 ways;
1-) A wish about the future; I wish she would tell me. I wish he were going to be here.
2-) A wish about the present; I wish I knew italian. I wish it weren't raining right now.
3-) A wish about the past; I wish John had come.
I wish shoud would tell me( = She will not tell me)
I wish he were going to be there( = He is not going to be there)
I wish I knew Italian. ( I do not know Italian)
I wsh it were not raining right now. ( It is raining right now)
So I'm asking how can differentiate these uses? I mean when I say I wish I knew Italian, how come it means I do not know Italian but not I will never/ am not going to know Italian)
It might be so easy to differentiate or might look so weird to you, but I'm still confused.
Thanks.
According to the paper I have, wish can be used in 3 ways;
1-) A wish about the future; I wish she would tell me. I wish he were going to be here.
2-) A wish about the present; I wish I knew italian. I wish it weren't raining right now.
3-) A wish about the past; I wish John had come.
I wish shoud would tell me( = She will not tell me)
I wish he were going to be there( = He is not going to be there)
I wish I knew Italian. ( I do not know Italian)
I wsh it were not raining right now. ( It is raining right now)
So I'm asking how can differentiate these uses? I mean when I say I wish I knew Italian, how come it means I do not know Italian but not I will never/ am not going to know Italian)
It might be so easy to differentiate or might look so weird to you, but I'm still confused.
Thanks.
Top answer
Nugso I mean when I say I wish I knew Italian, how come it means I do not know Italian It's because of the meaning of "wish". You can only wish for things that are not so. For example, if you were Italian, and you spoke fluent Italian, you would never say, "I wish I knew Italian".
- Nugso I mean when I say I wish I knew Italian, how come it means I do not know Italian It's because of the meaning of "wish".
- You can only wish for things that are not so.
- For example, if you were Italian, and you spoke fluent Italian, you would never say, "I wish I knew Italian".
- You already know Italian!
- Here's another example.
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3 Answers
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NugsoI mean when I say I wish I knew Italian, how come it means I do not know ItalianIt's because of the meaning of "wish". You can only wish for things that are not so. For example, if you were Italian, and you spoke fluent Italian, you would never say, "I wish I knew Italian". You already know Italian!
Here's another example. I live in Californ
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good evening,
Thank you for your explanation but I am still a little bit confused about the future with 'wish'
If I say ' I wish she would come tomorrow', do I say something like ' I hope that she will come tomorrow but I know she won't. Yet, let's keep fingers crossed and who knows'. This would be a kind of performative 'wish'
To put it differently, can we use 'wish' fo
Thank you for your explanation but I am still a little bit confused about the future with 'wish'
If I say ' I wish she would come tomorrow', do I say something like ' I hope that she will come tomorrow but I know she won't. Yet, let's keep fingers crossed and who knows'. This would be a kind of performative 'wish'
To put it differently, can we use 'wish' fo
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