Episode 32: I Wish I Could Fly

wish + past simple — Wright Brothers, 1899 (B1-B2)

Grammar Box

Meaning: “Wish + past simple” expresses desires about present situations we want to be different but cannot change right now.

Form: Subject + wish(es) + subject + past simple verb. (Past tense doesn’t mean past time; it shows the wish is contrary to current reality.)

Example 1: “I wish I lived closer to work.” (I don’t live close; I want this to change but it’s my current reality.)

Example 2: “She wishes she had more free time.” (She doesn’t have much free time now; she wants more.)

Common mistake: Wrong: “I wish I can fly.” Better: “I wish I could fly.” (Always use past tense after ‘wish’ for present desires.)

The Challenge

Luna sighed over her homework: “I wish I can understand this better.” Professor Wisdom circled ‘can.’ “For present wishes, we use past tense after ‘wish.’ Say: ‘I wish I could understand this better.'” Luna looked puzzled. “But I mean now, not the past?” “Exactly,” he said. “The past tense creates distance between reality and desire. You can’t understand it now, so the wish lives in that impossible space.” The watch glowed with longing. “Let’s visit two brothers who knew all about impossible wishes.”

The Journey

Dayton, Ohio, 1899. In a small bicycle shop, Wilbur and Orville Wright worked late into the evening, their hands stained with grease, their minds consumed by an impossible dream. They were in their thirties—Wilbur thirty-two, Orville twenty-eight—running a modest business that barely paid the bills.

But every spare moment, they studied birds in flight, read everything about aviation, sketched designs on any available paper. The scientific community had largely given up on human flight as impractical, even dangerous. Respected engineers declared it would never work.

One evening, exhausted from another failed glider test, Wilbur sat by the window watching birds circle overhead. “I wish I could see what they see,” he said quietly. “I wish we understood how they control their turns so effortlessly.”

Orville joined him, wiping his hands on a cloth. “I wish we had more money for materials. I wish people didn’t think we were wasting our time.” He paused. “I wish we could just once feel what it’s like to truly fly—not glide, not fall with style, but actually fly.”

Wilbur nodded slowly. “Most people wish they could fly in their dreams. We wish we could make it real.” The difference wasn’t just semantic. Their wish wasn’t passive longing; it was a desire so strong it demanded action despite impossible odds.

“We can’t fly today,” Wilbur finally said. “We don’t have the knowledge or the machine. But unless we keep trying, we never will.”

The Deep Dive

“Wish + past simple” expresses desires about present reality we’d like to change but currently cannot. The past tense (could instead of can, knew instead of know) doesn’t refer to past time; it signals that the wish contradicts present reality. This creates a grammatical space for longing without pretending the wish is already true.

Compare: “I hope I can fly someday” (hope—realistic possibility in future) vs. “I wish I could fly” (wish—acknowledging it’s currently impossible or very unlikely). Wishes feel more emotional because they acknowledge the gap between desire and reality.

When NOT to use: Don’t use “wish + past” for realistic hopes or plans. “I wish I will pass the test” is wrong; say “I hope I pass” for realistic desires. Reserve “wish + past” for situations that are currently contrary to reality or very unlikely to change soon.

More Examples

Personal: “I wish I spoke Spanish fluently.” (I don’t speak it fluently now; this is current reality I want to change.)

Work: “He wishes he had a different manager.” (His current manager situation he cannot easily change.)

Location: “They wish they lived by the ocean.” (Current reality: they don’t; desire: they want to.)

Ability: “I wish I could play piano like she does.” (Current reality: I can’t; acknowledging the gap.)

Contrast: “I hope I can visit Japan next year” (hope—realistic possibility) vs. “I wish I could visit Japan” (wish—currently seems unlikely or impossible).

Practice & Reflection

Exercises:

1. Fill in the blank: I wish I _ (know) the answer, but I honestly don’t.

2. Correct the mistake: “She wishes she can work from home permanently.”

3. Choose and explain: Which expresses present reality you cannot change?
   a) “I hope I pass the exam.”
   b) “I wish I were smarter.”

4. Rewrite: Transform “I want to be taller, but I’m not” into a wish sentence.

5. Compare: Explain the difference between “I wish I could help” and “I hope I can help.”

6. Your reflection: Write a wish sentence about something in your current life you’d like to be different.

Answer Key:
1. knew (past simple after ‘wish’ for present situation)
2. “She wishes she could work from home…” (Use ‘could,’ not ‘can.’)
3. (b) expresses unchangeable present reality (you can’t change your intelligence instantly). (a) is realistic future hope.
4. “I wish I were taller.” (Present unchangeable reality; note: ‘were’ is often used for all persons in wishes.)
5. “I wish I could help” = I cannot help (current limitation). “I hope I can help” = I might be able to help (possible).
6. Check: Does your sentence use ‘wish + past simple’ to express a present reality you’d like to change? Example: “I wish I had more patience with difficult situations.”

The Lesson

Luna corrected her sentence: “I wish I could understand this better.” The Professor smiled. “Perfect. The Wright Brothers wished they could fly, and that wish—that acknowledgment of the gap between dream and reality—drove them to bridge it. Four years after that conversation, they did fly.” Luna understood. Wishes aren’t just about wanting. They’re about recognizing what isn’t true yet, and sometimes, that recognition is the first step toward making it real.