1. “Would” for Wishes

When we talk about wishes, we often use “would” to express something we want to happen, but we know it may not or can’t happen right now. “Would” is used for wishes that are unlikely or impossible, often for actions controlled by others or situations outside our control.

Examples:

• I wish you would visit more often.
  (This implies that you want someone to visit more, but they don’t currently do so.)
• I wish it would stop raining!
  (You can’t control the weather, but you really hope the rain ends soon.)
• They wish their neighbors would keep the noise down.
  (This shows a desire for quieter neighbors, although they can’t make this happen directly.)

Key Points:

• “I wish + would” is used to express desires about other people or things, not for things we can directly control.
• This structure often shows a bit of frustration, as the speaker wants something different from the current situation.

2. “Would” for Hypothetical Desires

“Would” is also common when we talk about hypothetical desires—things we’d like to happen if the situation were different or if we were imagining another reality.

Examples:

• I would love to travel to Japan someday.
  (This shows a desire that hasn’t happened yet but is something the speaker imagines or hopes for in the future.)
• She would buy that dress if it were on sale.
  (This suggests she’d like to buy the dress, but only if the condition of it being on sale were met.)
• If I had more time, I would learn to play the piano.
  (Here, “would” expresses what the speaker would want to do if time weren’t an obstacle.)

Key Points:

• Hypothetical desires often use “would + verb” to show a wish or desire that depends on certain conditions.
• This structure helps us imagine different scenarios or express dreams and aspirations.

Practice Exercise

Let’s try a few practice sentences to solidify your understanding of “would” with wishes and hypothetical desires.

Fill in the blanks:

1. I wish my boss _______ (understand) how hard we work.
2. If I had a million dollars, I _______ (buy) a house by the beach.
3. They wish their friend _______ (call) more often.
4. If it _______ (be) sunny tomorrow, we would go to the park.

Answers:

1. I wish my boss would understand how hard we work.
2. If I had a million dollars, I would buy a house by the beach.
3. They wish their friend would call more often.
4. If it were sunny tomorrow, we would go to the park.