I wish I hadn't/haven't/hadn't had

Question

I'd like to know which expression (and why) should I use in this sentence:

I wish I hadn't had Acrophobia.

This doesn't seem correct but is it just "hadn't", "wouldn't have" or "didn't have" instead of "hadn't had"? Or something completely different?

Thank you

Well it depends what you want to say. Do you have a fear of heights now? Did you have a fear then but not now? All of your possibilities could have meaning in the right context but they all mean different things. Please explain. — chasly - supports Monica, Oct 05 '15 at 22:30
Possible duplicate of How do the tenses and aspects in English correspond temporally to one another? — choster, Oct 06 '15 at 17:24
I meant that I still have fear of heights but I'm not happy about it. Sorry, I should have been more specific. However, now I know the answer. Thank you very much for your time and also for the link. — Miles, Oct 06 '15 at 21:33

Michael Rader · Accepted Answer · 2015-10-05T22:51:25.203

If you're looking back on an instance where fear of heights may have prevented you from moving forward with something that you now wish you had moved forward with AND your fear of heights has since vanished, then saying:

I wish I hadn't had Acrophobia.

would make sense. Saying you wish you hadn't had it suggests that you no longer have it. It's tantamount to saying, "I wish I hadn't had Acrophobia at that time," which can either mean you experienced a unique moment of Acrophobia that you normally do not possess OR that your Acrophobia is no longer with you in the present but was in your past.

But if you had and still have that fear, then simply saying:

I wish I didn't have Acrophobia.

would make more sense. Saying it this way you're still considering your fear as a current obstacle, but also still covering your bases for having it in your past. You're reminiscing (perhaps regretting a moment) by addressing the fear you still have.

I wish I hadn't/haven't/hadn't had

1 Answers1