I wish I spoke Japanese more fluently
- Thread starter hirashin
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WonkoTheSane
先輩
- 12 May 2013
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It depends on the situation. If one is speaking in general terms about the present, they are equivalent and both correct.
If one is speaking about a particular instance of speaking in the past, only b is correct.
If one is speaking about a particular instance of speaking in the past, only b is correct.
- 8 Apr 2004
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- Thread starter
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Thanks for the help, Wonko.
If one is speaking about a particular experience in the past, how about these?
Do they have a different meaning from (b)?
(c) I wish I had spoken Japanese more fluently.
(d) I wish I had been able to speak Japanese more fluently.
Hirashin
If one is speaking about a particular experience in the past, how about these?
Do they have a different meaning from (b)?
(c) I wish I had spoken Japanese more fluently.
(d) I wish I had been able to speak Japanese more fluently.
Hirashin
- 12 Oct 2013
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Hello Hirashin,
Yes, both of those work. They are both identical to b).
There could be a slight nuance, such as;
c.) Could mean that you had sufficient skill, but that during that particular time you became nervous or confused or something, and it caused you to speak clumsily. Or perhaps you spoke broken Japanese on purpose, but now you regret it and wished you had spoken without such affectation.
As I said, it is just a slight, possible nuance, and people would only catch this nuance from the context. In general, all three (b, c, and d) work when speaking about an experience in the past.
Yes, both of those work. They are both identical to b).
There could be a slight nuance, such as;
c.) Could mean that you had sufficient skill, but that during that particular time you became nervous or confused or something, and it caused you to speak clumsily. Or perhaps you spoke broken Japanese on purpose, but now you regret it and wished you had spoken without such affectation.
As I said, it is just a slight, possible nuance, and people would only catch this nuance from the context. In general, all three (b, c, and d) work when speaking about an experience in the past.
- 12 Oct 2013
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- 5,023
Hmmm - now I know why I am not an English teacher. I think the past perfect tense works best for talking about things in the past. So to my mind (c) and (d) work better.
(a) and (b) both work best when expressing a wish about today. But (b) could conceivably be used to express something in the past, as Wonko said. But if you would ask a student to construct a sentence expressing a wish you had for something that passed, (c) and (d) would be the natural choices. Maybe the link below helps clarify. I know this is a tricky concept for Japanese students of English language. It seems to defy easy explanation.
Wishes and hypotheses
(a) and (b) both work best when expressing a wish about today. But (b) could conceivably be used to express something in the past, as Wonko said. But if you would ask a student to construct a sentence expressing a wish you had for something that passed, (c) and (d) would be the natural choices. Maybe the link below helps clarify. I know this is a tricky concept for Japanese students of English language. It seems to defy easy explanation.
Wishes and hypotheses
