Regrets about the Past

We use I wish + Past Perfect to express regret about something that happened or did not happen in the past.

Complaining with ‘would’

We use I wish + would + verb to express annoyance or a complaint about a situation or someone’s repeated action that we want to change. We want someone or something else to act differently.

Important: We cannot use this form to wish for a change in our own behavior. We do not say “I wish I would…”

“If only” for Emphasis

We can replace I wish with If only in all patterns. If only is more emphatic and expresses a stronger feeling of desire or regret.