C1 · Lesson 14 · 25 min
Unreal time and preferences
In this lesson
- I can use past forms to express present or future distance from reality.
- I can distinguish present preferences from regrets about completed past events.
Grammar in context
It is time we reviewed the timetable. I would rather we started earlier next week, and I wish we had consulted the students before changing it last month. The coordinator talks as if the decision were already final, but it is not.
Which past forms refer to now or the future, and which refers to a completed past decision?
Past form does not always mean past time
After expressions such as it is time and some uses of wish or as if, a past form can mark distance from present reality rather than an earlier time. It is time we left usually means that leaving is appropriate now, perhaps overdue. It is time to leave uses a different infinitive pattern with a similar practical message. For unreal present situations with be, were is a formal option; was is also common with singular subjects in less formal usage.
- I wish the room were quieter.
- It is time we took a break.
Preferences with would rather
When the person expressing the preference also performs the action, would rather normally takes a base verb: I would rather stay. With a different subject, use a past simple form for a present or future preference: I would rather you stayed. To express a preference about a completed past event involving another subject, use past perfect: I would rather you had told me. Position not appropriately and avoid a to-infinitive after would rather.
- I would rather not discuss it now.
- I would rather you had called before arriving yesterday.
Regret and comparison with reality
Wish plus past perfect looks back at an unreal alternative to a completed past event. As if and as though can describe an appearance that may be true, so they do not always require an unreal past form. When the speaker explicitly treats the comparison as contrary to present fact, a past form can mark that distance. Use context to establish the intended reality and time, instead of mechanically moving every verb into the past.
- I wish I had saved the draft before closing the program.
- He speaks as if he owned the place, although it belongs to someone else.
Common mistakes
Compare the incorrect and corrected forms.
Avoid
I would rather to wait outside.
Use
I would rather wait outside.
With the same subject, would rather takes a base verb without to.
Avoid
I wish I knew about the cancellation yesterday, but I only discovered it today.
Use
I wish I had known about the cancellation yesterday, but I only discovered it today.
This regret concerns a completed past situation, so use past perfect.
Put it into practice
Try the exercises, write your own examples and check your understanding.