Wish - Would or past? Having trouble!

Question

Hey Guys!I'm having a really hard time understanding when to you would/would be and when was/were/PAST.I wish you would stay.   orI wish you stayed.I wish we had a better economy orI wish we would have a better economy.Yesterday I spent at least 6 hours (yea I know that sounds freaky) looking for an answer. I just can't figure out when to use would. Also, I'm having problems with the past form that is used for indirect speech. Does this form have a name? Something like unreal speech?I acted like I was crazy  orI acted like I would be crazy orI acted like I am crazy.I didn't knew who she was orÍ didn't know who she is?Your help would be so much apprechiated, you guys a my last resort (or at least close to beeing that).

Lamjin · Accepted Answer

I wish you would stay.
It means you will not be here tomorrow or in the future.
I wish you stayed.
It means you are not here now.

I wish we had a better economy
It means we do not have a better economy now.
I wish we would have a better economy.
It means we will not have a better economy in the future.

Lucbert · Answer

lamjinI wish you would stay.
It means you will not be here tomorrow or in the future.
I wish you stayed.
It means you are not here now.

I wish we had a better economy
It means we do not have a better economy now.
I wish we would have a better economy.
It means we will not have a better economy in the future.

Are you shure about that? I found the first example on some grammar page today.
The page said, that the would can also be used for wishes, like in the first sentence.
Also, I thought that WOULD was the PAST of WILL.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

LucbertI wish you would stay. or
I wish you stayed.
I wish you would stay. - > You say this to someone (present tense) if you desire them to remain with you for a while.
I wish you had stayed. - > You say this to someone (present tense) if you are talking about some time in the past (yesterday, last week, etc.) when you wanted them to remain with you for a while, but they did not. The grammatical term is "subjunctive mood"
I wish we had a better economy or
I wish we would have a better economy.

Both are correct.
The first expresses that the current economy is not good now, and you want a better one right now (but it will not be so).
The second expresses a wish for an economy in the future that is better than what we have today.
I acted like I was crazy or
I acted like I would be crazy (not correct)
I acted like I am crazy. (not correct)
You can say: I acted as if I were crazy. (this is subjunctive. You were not crazy, but acted that way)
I didn't know who she was (correct) or
Í didn't know who she is? (not correct)

Lucbert · Answer

Thank you for answering!

AlpheccaStars
LucbertI wish you would stay. or
I wish you stayed.
I wish you would stay. - > You say this to someone (present tense) if you desire them to remain with you for a while.
I wish you had stayed. - > You say this to someone (present tense) if you are talking about some time in the past (yesterday, last week, etc.) when you wanted them to remain with you for a while, but they did not. The grammatical term is "subjunctive mood"

Can I also say: I wish you stayed? what would that mean?

And how do I know wheather I have to use WOULD or the PAST-form.
I mean, I know how it works in If clauses. You never use WOULD on the If side (I think you can use it if its a kind ffer or something but thats not what I mean)
And in indirect speech would is only used as the past form of will.

But sometimes there are sentences, where WOULD means essentialy the same like the past form.
F.E. It seems like you would hate her
It seems like you hated her.

I never know how to say it. Is there a rule or smething?

CalifJim · Answer

I'm having a really hard time understanding when to you would/would be and when was/were/PAST.

I wish you would stay. or
I wish you stayed.

I wish we had a better economy or
I wish we would have a better economy.The verb wish has an unusual grammar. The patterns used with wish are different from the patterns used with other verbs.
____

1. wish ... would ... is used to wish for some action or event to take place in the future.

I wish you would stay.
I wish they would tell me about their trip.
Don't you wish they would chop down that tree?

This form is not used for states.

*I wish it would be cold. No.
*I wish John would know what I said. No.
*Do you wish you would have a pet? No.
____

2. wish ... {past tense*} ... is used to wish for a current state of affairs to be contrary to what it actually is.
*Substituting were for was is often done in this case.

Ed wishes that he had a million dollars. (He doesn't have a million dollars.)
I wish Jerry didn't like to drive so fast. (He does like to drive fast.)
I wish we had a better economy. (We don't.)

This form is not used for actions or events. But see the final note, below.

*I wish I wrote a book. No.
*Sam wishes he took a nap. No.
*I imagine you wish you won. No.
____

3. wish ... had {past participle} ... is used to wish that some action or event had taken place (although it didn't) in the past, or that some action had not taken place (although it did). It is also used to wish that a past state of affairs had been contrary to what is actually was.

George wishes that Mary had opened the window. (She didn't.)
I wish they had told me about their trip. (They didn't.)
I suppose you wish I hadn't offered Lucy a ride. (I did.)
Pauline and her friends wish that it had been warmer yesterday. (It wasn't.)
I'll bet you wish that you hadn't been sitting there when the bomb exploded. (You were sitting there.)
__

Note: Sometimes speakers substitute the past tense for had {past participle}. This is a mistake, in my opinion, and it can cause some confusion for learners.

CJ

CalifJim · Answer

I acted like I was crazy or
~~I acted like I would be crazy~~ or
~~I acted like I am crazy.~~

Also, I acted as if I was/were crazy.

You need an action for would:

I acted like I would go crazy.
I acted as if I would go crazy.

I didn't knew who she was or
~~Í didn't know who she is?~~

Match the past tense at the beginning with past tenses in the rest of the sentence.

CJ

AlpheccaStars · Answer

LucbertCan I also say: I wish you stayed? what would that mean?

It's not correct. - I wish you had stayed. I wish you could have stayed.
If you would ask, I would give it to you.(future conditional - a very common construction. )
Would is the relative past form of will: He said he would do it.
It seems like you would hate her (does not make sense, would never means past tense in such a case.)
It seems like you hated her. (OK)

.

Lucbert · Answer

Thank you so much for all the replies.

The problem is, that I still don't really know when to use would and when the past tense.

Is the past only uses for states while would is used for actions?
Becuase often I seems like both work, but they mean something different.

I think the economy sentece is a good example. One of you said, that

"I wish we had a better economy" means that the speaker wants a better economy, but he know that it is not better.
"I wish we would have a better economy" mean that the speaker wants a better economy in the future.

Does would always mean future? Is it only uses as the past form of will?
Are the past form and would sometimes interchangeable?

CalifJim · Answer

Lucbert"I wish we would have a better economy" mean that the speaker wants a better economy in the future.

In my opinion this means nothing at all. You can't use wish ... would ... with a state. Switch the verb to hope:

I hope we will have a better economy [soon / next year / ...].

LucbertDoes would always mean future?

When used with wish, yes, and even there it is only an imagined or envisioned future. But in general, no. The primary use of would is the future of the past.

CJ

Yankee · Answer

Hi Lucbert

CalifJimWhen used with wish, yes, and even there it is only an imagined or envisioned future. But in general, no. The primary use of would is the future of the past.

I agree with what CJ has written. It may often be hard to distinguish a clear line between a present activity and the future (which is what I think Jim was suggesting above).

For example, if Bob has just started smoking a cigarette, Mary might say this to him:
"I wish you wouldn't smoke." (smoke = present activity, not smoke = future)

Mary is referring to a single activity in the present. Smoking a cigarette is happening at the moment and Mary wants that particular activity to stop. Thus, what Mary also means is this:
"I wish you would put that cigarette out." (put that cigarette out = future)

Wish - Would or past? Having trouble!

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