Podcast 11 - B2 talking hypothetically in English

Using 'wish' and 'if only'

Hello, and today, I'm going to talk to you about hypothesizing in English, or making hypotheses.

So what do we mean by hypothesize? Well, it means that we talk about things that we would like to be true, but they seem impossible. So they're similar in a way to conditional sentences, like the second conditional.

Now, the words we usually use to make hypotheses are words like:

wish, if only,

or,

would rather.

First of all, we could talk about using past simple, just as we do in the second conditional. And we use wish, for example, or if only, or, I'd rather.

I wish I was taller than I am now.

And remember that, when we hypothesize, we're using a past tense form, but it's not really a past tense, is it? We're talking about something that we would like now.

I wish I was taller now.

And so we can change the verb to be to were.

I wish I were taller than I am now.
I wish I were as good as she is at painting. She's so good!

And then the negative would be,

I wish I didn't have to go to work every day.

I wish I didn't have to.
If only I didn't have to go to work every day,

really mean is the same thing.

If only I had more time to do all the things that I would like to. If only I had more time.

Using rather

And then I'd rather is similar. It's really expressing a preference for something that is not true at the moment. But we would like it to be.

I'd rather I didn't have to live so far from the city centre.

But I do live a long way, and there's not much I can do about it!

Then we use past continuous when we hypothesize about actions happening now.

I wish I wasn't sitting in this cinema watching this boring film. I wish I was doing something else - like in the pub having a drink with my friends.

Using could and would - complaining

Then if we use the word could, we can hypothesize about something that we would like to be good at - or abilities.

I wish I could play football better.

But I'm not really very good [at it].

I wish I could help you with your maths homework, but I don't understand it either. I wish I could help you.

There's an interesting way we hypothesize about things we disagree with - things that annoy us. Other people's actions that annoy us that make us angry, and we use would, usually, when we want to say these things.

I wish my friend wouldn't bite his nails. It's a disgusting habit.
I wish the teacher would speak slower. I just don't understand what he's saying.

I'm not very good at this language anyway!

I wish he would speak slower.

It's interesting that that would is used in a complaining way. It comes of course from will. We use that when we also complain, for example.

Oh, she will make a lot of noise.

it means she's always doing it and I'm fed up with it.

She will drive fast.

When she gets in that sports car, of hers. Oh, my goodness, she will drive fast. I just don't agree with it. It really annoys me. And it's very dangerous, of course!

So when we hypothesize, saying that we would prefer that they didn't do those things. Well, then we use a past tense of will, which is would.

I wish he wouldn't drive so fast.

It is very dangerous. And then, when we want to talk about the past, things which are already in the past - water under the bridge - or regrets about things that we didn't do, and we wish we had done them.

I wish I had studied more when I was at school.

Now I don't have many qualifications. I wish I had studied more, there is not much I can do about it. It's, well, it's water under the bridge, isn't it.

I wish I'd bought another sofa.

This one I've got is just the wrong colour. It doesn't go with the rest of the furniture!

Using rather in a special way

And then finally, using rather, as we've seen, we use rather plus the past tense. For example,

I'd rather you came to my house earlier.

Then you can help me get the things ready for the party. I'd rather you came earlier. But if we are using rather, and the subject of the action is also the same as the subject of the sentence, then we don't use past tense, and we use an infinitive without to.

You don't need to come and help me. I'd rather do it myself.
You don't need to come and help me with the birthday preparations. I'd rather do it myself.

So as you can see that the I at the beginning of the sentence is also the subject who is going to do the preparations. So, I'd rather do the preparations. And not,

~~I'd rather I did~~.

That's all for now. Goodbye!

Also see a my next podcast on 'wish' and 'if only'...