Two modals one right after one - are correct? I heard yesterday someone who seems to be a native English speaker who said "I would wish..." (I didn't listened further) and It was weird to me since I learnt that modals considered a sort of auxiliary verb, and since it doesn't make sense to say "I will will" or "I was was" the same it will not be correct to say "I would wish". So if it's not correct I can understand why, but if it's correct I don't understand why it's like that. Is there a way in which it's correct to say "I would wish..."?
asked May 11, 2018 at 3:29
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Sorry, but I don't understand what you are asking. Wish is not a modal verb, and neither is was, and there are indeed circumstances where one would say will will, albeit using different senses of will.– chosterCommented May 11, 2018 at 3:34
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Maybe it's a mistake but anyway this is what I learnt from my teacher or maybe I didn't understand him well. So it is considered OK to say I would wish?– Virtuous LegendCommented May 11, 2018 at 4:49
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See here for example: image.slidesharecdn.com/modals-140208112100-phpapp01/95/…– Virtuous LegendCommented May 11, 2018 at 5:00
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1 Answer
Wish is not a modal verb, so can follow would or any other modal verb.
It is perhaps slightly awkward to say "I would wish ..." by itself, but if I asked you "If you could wish for anything in the world, what would you wish for?", you could reply "I would wish for ...".
You have misunderstood the website you linked to, which is about the modal verb may, not about the main verb wish. It uses the modal verb may to express a request, or permission, or prohibition, or possibility or a wish. The example is "May the New Year bring you joy".
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Thank you for the answer. Could I say for example:"I would wish you to become a rich person" or "I would wish to visit you but I can't at the moment because I'm very busy". I left different kink by mistake. This is the correct one: image.slidesharecdn.com/modals-140208112100-phpapp01/95/… Commented May 11, 2018 at 5:00
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Good question. Probably the most natural sentences are 'I wish that the New Year brings you joy' or 'I wish for you to become a rich person'.– SydneyCommented May 11, 2018 at 23:26
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The second website you linked to is wrong. Hope, wish and am to are not modal verbs. There are various tests we can use to decide that. However, they do have a 'modal-ish' meaning to them. The modal verbs of English are can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will and would. A few others are sometimes called 'semi-modals', but 'wish' is never listed as either a modal or semi-modal.– SydneyCommented May 11, 2018 at 23:31
