I wish he would come.
Does this sentence imply there is still a chance to come for him?
I wished he would come.
Does this sentence imply he didn't come in the past?
The only difference is wish vs. wished.
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Yes, the only difference between those two sentences is the time when the wishing happens. They have all the differences you'd expect from two sentences about different times, and that's it.– gotube ♦Commented May 29, 2023 at 16:09
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1 Answer
"I wish that something" usually means that you would like something to happen, but you don't expect it.
The first sentence about how you are feeling now - you him to come, but you don't really expect it. There may or may not be a chance he will come, but that is not what the sentence is about.
The second sentence is about how you felt some time in the past, perhaps yesterday, when you wanted him to come but didn't really expect it. He may or may not have come later on, but again that is not what the sentence is about.
In fairy tales wishes may be magically granted, so a speaker may know that "I wish .." will cause the requested effect. This is not the situation I have discussed above.
