From reality to wish: the same “one step back”
Wish and if only express that reality is not the way we want it. Like the unreal conditionals, they push the verb one tense back to signal “this isn’t true”. Pick a situation and watch reality turn into a wish. (El verbo retrocede un tiempo para marcar que no es real.)
1 · Choose the situation
Where does the wish point?
What changed?
Real tense → wish tense
Tap the real situation’s form to see what it becomes inside a wish. (Regla general: cada forma retrocede un paso.)
Hope vs wish, would rather, it’s time & friends
Eight traps — and the fix
The same slips appear in every exam: the verb did not step back, would was used about yourself, or hope replaced wish. (Revisa el tiempo del verbo antes de entregar.)
- I wish I know the answer. / I wish I have more time. → I wish I knew the answer. / I wish I had more time.one step back: present → past simple
- I wish I would have studied. → I wish I had studied.past regret = past perfect, no would
- I wish I would be taller. → I wish I were taller.wish… would is never about yourself
- I wish to be taller. (meaning regret) → I wish I were taller.wish + to = want (formal), not regret
- I hope I studied more last year. → I wish I had studied more last year.past regret, not hope
- It’s time we go. / It’s time that we go. → It’s time we went.it’s time + past simple
- I’d rather you don’t smoke here. → I’d rather you didn’t smoke here.would rather + someone + past simple
- I’d rather to go home. → I’d rather go home.same subject: base form, no to
👩🏫 For the teacher — how this page maps to the manual
- Explore shows Grammar 2's "one step back" on six situations (present unreal, ability, past regret, wish + would, would rather + person, it's time), colour-coding the wish word and the shifted verb, with a time ruler. The dial is the tense-shift table; the special-cases card is the exceptions box (hope vs wish, would rather, it's time, if only, wish…would about yourself, were, wish to / wish you); the red card is the pitfall box.
- Build is productive: students assemble a wish by choosing the verb form (exercise A), then transform real facts into wishes, preferences and it's-time sentences (exercise B and Task set 2), with validation.
- Drill merges exercises C–D into one graded engine (★ hope/wish & choose the form · ★★ fix the error/complete · ★★★ past regrets, wish…would, rewrite) with a score and streak.
- Works offline. Reading/writing only — no audio.
Build a wish
Read the reality, then choose the verb form the wish needs. The machine builds it — guess before you check.
Drill — one flow, three levels
★ hope vs wish & choose the form · ★★ fix the error & complete · ★★★ past regrets, wish… would & rewrite. Keep your streak alive. (Igual escalera que tu Cuaderno de tareas.)