subject + wish/wishes + subject + had + past participleUse this form for a finished past event you want to be different.
Wish — Past
B1Use wish + past perfect to regret a finished past event: I wish I had left earlier. Use hadn't + past participle to regret an action you did.
What you'll learn
- Talk about a past event you want to change.
- Build wish + had + past participle.
- Build wish + hadn't + past participle for regret about an action.
- Choose the correct past participle after had.
- Recognize that wish adds regret, not a neutral past fact.
Structure
subject + wish/wishes + subject + had not + past participleUse this form when the action happened and you regret doing it.
Build a sentence
Subject
Past event
IwishIhadgone
I wish I had gone earlier.
Use had + past participle for a past regret. The participle of go is gone.
When to use
Missed chances
Use it when Maria or Tom did not do something and now regrets it: I wish I had called her.
Bad decisions
Use it for a choice that was wrong in the past: Lisa wishes she had taken the earlier train.
Actions you regret
Use hadn't + past participle when the action happened, but you want it not to have happened: He wishes he hadn't said that.
Markers
wishhadhadn'tearlierlast nightyesterday
Spelling
irregular verb go
→ went → gone after hadhad goneirregular verb see
→ saw → seen after hadhad seenirregular verb tell
→ told stays toldhad toldIn contrast
vs wish-present
Wish — Past regrets a finished past event: I wish I had left. Wish — Present talks about a present situation you want to be different: I wish I were taller.
vs third-conditional
Wish — Past states regret directly. Third conditional adds the result: I wish I had left earlier. / If I had left earlier, I would have caught the train.
Common mistakes
Wrong
I wish I went earlier.
Correct
I wish I had gone earlier.
For a past regret after wish, use had + past participle, not past simple.
Wrong
She wishes she told him the truth.
Correct
She wishes she had told him the truth.
Wish about the past needs had before the past participle.
Wrong
Tom wishes he didn't say that.
Correct
Tom wishes he hadn't said that.
To regret an action in the past, use hadn't + past participle after wish.
Wrong
I wish I had went home.
Correct
I wish I had gone home.
After had, use the past participle. The participle of go is gone, not went.
Common misconceptions
❝ Wish about the past is just another way to tell a past story. ❞
Wish about the past always adds regret and an unreal alternative. It does not simply report what happened.
❝ After wish, past simple is enough for a finished past regret. ❞
For a finished past regret, standard English uses had + past participle after wish.
Skills in this rule (5)
USE_WISH_FOR_PAST_REGRETSw5Use wish to talk about a past event you want to change
Use wish when the past is finished and you feel regret about what happened or did not happen. The speaker imagines a different past, not a real one.
BUILD_WISH_PLUS_PAST_PERFECTw5Build wish + had + past participle for a different past
After wish, use had + past participle to show the unreal past result. This pattern points back to an earlier finished event.
NEGATIVE_PAST_REGRET_WITH_HAD_NOTw5Use had not + past participle to regret a past action
To regret a past action, use had not + past participle after wish. This means the action happened, but you want the past to be different.
CHOOSE_PAST_PARTICIPLE_FORMw4Choose the correct past participle after had
After had, the verb must be in the past participle form. With irregular verbs, this form may be different from the past simple.
NOT_FOR_REAL_PAST_FACTSw3Keep wish separate from a real past fact
Wish does not report what really happened as a neutral fact. It adds regret and an unreal alternative, so use it only when the speaker wants the past to be different.