The Difference Between Wish And Hope ✅WISH The word wish is usually used for hypothetical (imagined) situations, when you want something in the present or past to be different. When you’re wishing a present situation was different, use wish + simple past: * I live near the beach, but I wish I lived near the mountains. * Getting a visa to travel to the U.S. is difficult. I wish the process wasn’t so complicated. When you’re wishing a past situation was different, use wish + past perfect: * I wasn’t expecting your visit. I wish you had called me first. * Yesterday I got very angry at my best friend. I wish I hadn’t said she was stupid. ✅HOPE The word hope is used when you want a specific result, and when there is (or was) a real possibility of getting that result. When you are hoping for a result in the future, you can use either hope + present or hope + will + verb (they are equal; there is no difference): * I bought a present for my girlfriend. * I hope she likes it. * OR I hope she’ll like it. * My final English exam is this Friday. * I hope I get a good grade. * OR I hope I’ll get a good grade. You can also use hope in the past continuous, past perfect, or past perfect continuous, when you wanted a result, but that result didn’t happen: * I was hoping my girlfriend would like the present I bought her, but she hated it. * I had hoped to get a good grade on my English exam, but I failed.