The verb to wish · Conjugation
Past Perfect of wish
The answer: had wished
B2
A past action that happened before another past action.
Quick answer
The Past Perfect of the verb to wish is had wished.
Example: She had already wished everyone luck when I arrived.
Full conjugation in the Past Perfect
| Pronoun | Form | Contraction |
|---|---|---|
| I | had wished | I'd wished |
| You | had wished | You'd wished |
| He / She / It | had wished | He'd / She'd / It'd wished |
| We | had wished | We'd wished |
| You (pl.) | had wished | You'd wished |
| They | had wished | They'd wished |
Common mistakes to avoid
1. After had, always the past participle
With wish, the Past Simple and the past participle are the same (wished), so I had wished is easy. But many irregular verbs have two different forms: I had gone, not I had went; I had seen, not I had saw.
2. Yesterday I had gone to the cinema ❌
Use the Past Perfect only for the earlier of two past actions. For one past action, the Past Simple is enough: Yesterday I went to the cinema. With wish: wished for one action, had wished for the action that came first.
3. 'd + past participle = had
'd can mean had or would. Look at the next word. 'd + past participle = had: I'd wished = I had wished. 'd + base form = would: I'd wish = I would wish.
Practice quiz
Going further
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Frequently asked questions
How do you conjugate wish in the Past Perfect?+
Use had + the past participle wished. The form is the same for every person: I had wished, she had wished, they had wished. The short form is 'd: I'd wished.
When do you use the Past Perfect of wish?+
Use it for an action that happened before another action in the past. It shows which action came first: When we arrived, the film had already started. The film started first, and then we arrived. Signal words: before, after, already, by the time.
What is the past participle of wish?+
The past participle of wish is wished. You use it after have, has and had. The verb wish is regular, so it is the same as the Past Simple: wished.
What is the difference between had wished and have wished?+
Have wished (Present Perfect) connects the past to now. Had wished (Past Perfect) connects an earlier past to a later past. Compare: I have finished my homework (so I can play now) and I had finished my homework before dinner.
How do you make the negative and the question of wish in the Past Perfect?+
Negative: I hadn't wished (had not). Question: put had before the subject: Had you wished…? The past participle does not change.
Related pages: wish Past Perfect
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Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/verbs/wish/past-perfect
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.
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More forms of the verb to wish are coming soon.