Levels & career tracks
Curso básico · A1–A2
Nivel A1.1 — IdentidadNivel A1.2 — Rutinas y entornoNivel A2.1 — Contando el mundoNivel A2.2 — Comparando y proyectandoIntermedio · B1–B2
Level B1.1 — Connecting experiencesLevel B1.2 — Narrating and describingLevel B2.1 — Arguing Current levelLevel B2.2 — NuanceProfesional / Avanzado · C1–C2
Level C1.1 — PrecisionLevel C1.2 — Register and discourseLevel C2.1 — StyleLevel C2.2 — Native masteryInglés técnico y especialización
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"Wish" and "if only" express that reality is different from what you want. Like the conditionals, the tense you use shifts back one step — present wishes use past simple, and past wishes (regrets) use past perfect.
Why this matters This lesson connects directly to your progress: it covers wishes about the present; wishes about the past: regret; if only, and wish + would. Mastering this content lets you move forward confidently, and reinforces patterns you'll use again later. Take time to review every example before moving to the assessment — repetition is what actually locks knowledge in long-term.
01
The goals of this lesson.
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You already know conditionals for hypothetical situations. This lesson gives you a related structure, "wish" and "if only", specifically for expressing regret or desire.
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To wish something were different right now, use "wish" + past simple. For "to be", use "were" for all subjects, just like the second conditional.
| Form | Example |
|---|---|
| wish + past simple | I wish I had more time. |
| wish + were | I wish it were warmer. |
Examples
04
To express regret about something in the past, use "wish" + past perfect (had + past participle).
| Form | Example |
|---|---|
| wish + past perfect | I wish I had studied harder. |
Examples
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"If only" is a more emphatic way of saying "wish", and follows the exact same tense rules. "Wish + would" expresses frustration about someone else's behavior — not about yourself.
Examples
06
Read the text and answer the questions. You can try as many times as you want.
Sofia has been reflecting on her choices lately. She wishes she had traveled more before starting her career. If only she had taken that semester abroad when she had the chance. Now, with a full-time job, she wishes she had more free time to explore new places.
She also wishes her partner would be more spontaneous about weekend trips. "If only we could just decide and go," she says. Still, she doesn't have major regrets — she wishes things were slightly different, but overall, she's happy with the life she's built.
1. What does Sofia wish she had done before her career?
2. What opportunity does she regret not taking?
3. What does she wish she had more of now?
4. What does she wish her partner would be?
5. Does Sofia have major regrets overall?
💪 You can now express hopes, regrets, and frustration like a native speaker. Review this lesson, or keep going!
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Usa las pistas para completar cada palabra en inglés. Sin calificar — repite las veces que quieras.
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The essentials of this lesson, summarized.
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Key terms to remember.
to want something to be different from how it really is
Collocations: wish for, make a wish, wish upon
wants something to be different from reality (third person)
Collocations: wishes granted, best wishes, wishes for
communicated using words, in the past
Collocations: spoke up, spoke fluently, spoke briefly
greater in height
Collocations: grow taller, taller than average, taller building
had information or awareness about something
Collocations: knew better, knew all along, knew for sure
greater in size
Collocations: bigger picture, bigger than expected, go bigger
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Tap the words in the correct order to form the sentence. Ungraded — repeat as many times as you like.
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Tap the correct verb form to complete each sentence. The other options are conjugations from other tenses — on purpose, so you learn to tell them apart.
They they had a bigger house
She her neighbors would be quieter
They they had saved more money
I I had more free time
If I had studied harder
12
Listen to the full dialogue with the speaker buttons first, then fill in the missing words from this lesson's real conversation. Ungraded — repeat as many times as you like.
You
I I said that to my brother.
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You need at least 80% to unlock the next lesson. You can retake it as many times as you want — your best score is saved.
1. "She wishes she had taken that job offer." — which one is correct?
2. "I wish I had studied harder in school." — which one is correct?
3. Which option matches: "I wish it would stop raining."?
4. Which option matches: "She wishes her neighbors would be quieter."?
5. Which option matches: "If only she lived closer."?
6. What does this mean: "If only I had more time."?
7. Which option matches: "I wish it weren't so cold today."?
8. Which option matches: "We wish we spoke better English."?
9. Choose the equivalent of: "We wish we had visited more countries."
10. "If only people would listen more carefully." — which one is correct?
Review — Lesson 42 What matches: "He told me not to be late."?
Review — Lesson 42 What matches: "She asked what time it was."?
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You now express regret naturally with wish/if only. Next lesson: modals of deduction — must, for logical certainty.
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Practice this lesson's vocabulary with a word search and flashcards. Ungraded — play as many times as you like.
Tap the first and last letter of a hidden word to find it. Los términos de varias palabras van sin espacios en el tablero (ej. "give up" aparece como GIVEUP).
Elige la respuesta correcta. Si aciertas, la tarjeta queda lista por hoy; si fallas, vuelve a aparecer pronto para reforzarla. Tu progreso se guarda en este dispositivo.