# Slovak: Želám/Prajem mu, aby našiel lásku a vnútorný pokoj.



## potlach

Hello everyone,

I need to translate the above sentence into English and I am not sure about how to put it correctly. Is the following version alright?:

''I wish him to find love and inner peace.''

Is 'I wish him to find' grammatically correct?

Thank you for your help in advance.

potlach


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## Azori

I have checked my English textbook and I'd say it's correct. Some examples (from the textbook):

We expect that he will come. -> We expect HIM TO COME. = Dúfame, že príde.

He wants us to have a look at it. = Chce, aby sme sa na to pozreli.

I'd like her to be happy. = Chcel by som, aby bola šťastná.

The boss wants the job to be ready by tomorrow. = Šéf chce, aby tá práca bola do zajtrajška hotová.

EDIT:





potlach said:


> ''I wish him to find love and inner peace.''


I'm not sure, but how about: "I wish him love and inner peace"...? (I guess those previous examples don't really hold in this case...   - should think twice before I post something )


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## potlach

Thank you so much, Azori  ''I wish him love and inner peace." sounds perfect. I just was not sure about ''wish him to find'' construction, haven't heard it before, and it bugged me a bit. Many thank-yous for your help!


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## swintok

In English we do not use the infinitive after the verb "to wish" when expressing desires for something positive for another person.  

"I wish him love and inner peace" is grammatically correct, but quite demonstrative and formal.  It is something you would say in a toast or formal public speech.  A more familiar and conversational way to say it would be "I hope he finds love and inner peace."

Here's a link with some pretty detailed explanations on usage:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv301.shtml

If you're looking for a more detailed grammatical explanation, check this:
http://www.eslbase.com/grammar/wish


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## morior_invictus

Note also that "alright" is a nonstandard use of "all right" and is considered incorrect by many people.

See, for instance, this previous discussion: Alright - All right ?


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## potlach

Thank you, swintok and morior_invictus


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## Enquiring Mind

Asi idem s križkom po funuse, ale...
Good answers here.  As the two links provided by swintok in #4 show, "wish" has several different meanings in English according to context, and the one being asked about here is "wishing and hoping".  The main thing for Slovak speakers to remember is *not to translate the Slovak grammatical construction*, because "wish someone to do something (e.g.wish him to find ) is not possible in this _priať_ sense.   However, as Azori says, this construction with "want" is perfectly ok, e.g.  chcem, aby si ma aspoň všimol - I want him to at least notice me; chcel by, aby si bola šťastná - he would like you to be happy.    

In this "wishing and hoping" sense, if you use "wish" in English, it can only be followed by a noun or noun phrase, not a verb, and, as swintok says, "I wish him love and inner peace" is correct, though formal. 

So_ priat'/želať + noun or noun phrase_ = "wish":
Prajem ti všetko najlepšie  - I wish you all the best; prajem mu skoré uzdravenie - I wish him a speedy recovery (I hope he gets well soon, may he make a speedy recovery); prajem ti všetko, čo môžem priať - I wish you everything there is to wish; prajem ti to, čo človek najviac potrebuje - I wish you what a person needs most (of all); prajem Ti všetko po čom Tvoje srdce túži - I wish you everything your heart yearns for.

If the wish is followed by a verb construction (_prajem ti/mu (atd) aby ..)_ then you have to use "hope" (not "wish"), or, in a literary/poetic/formal register, "may ..."
Prajem ti, aby tvoja cesta v novom roku išla len správnym smerom. 
I hope your path in the new year takes only the right direction(s). (conversational/everyday register)
May your path in the new year take only the right direction(s). (formal/literary)

Prajem ti, aby si vždy našla ten správny pohľad na veci, ktorý problémy rieši a nie komplikuje.
I hope you always manage to find the right approach to deal with problems rather than make them worse. (conversational/everyday)
May you always find solutions to problems, not complications. (formal/literary)

Prajem Ti, aby si sa v novej práci našla, aby Ti robila radosť.
I hope you find your true self in your new job/work, and that it makes you happy. (conversational/everyday)
May you find your true self and happiness in your new work. (formal/literary)

[ possible comma errors in the Slovak punctuation, all the phrases were taken from the internet; as always, other translations are possible]


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## potlach

Thank you so much for your kind help, Enquiring Mind. Much appreciated


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## NotNow

swintok said:


> "I wish him love and inner peace" is grammatically correct, but quite demonstrative and formal.  It is something you would say in a toast or formal public speech.  A more familiar and conversational way to say it would be "I hope he finds love and inner peace."



You can also say, _I wish that he finds love and inner peace._


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## Enquiring Mind

Hi NotNow, "I wish that _+ present tense_" sounds unnatural and non-native to me, and it's not recommended usage.   The BBC Learning English site here in the "hopes and wishes" section doesn't offer "wish that + present tense" as an option at all, neither does the eslgold.com site here (or any other site I've checked). 
*
hopes and wishes: hope that + present / future 
*_ 

Note that for wishes about things that are *positive* and seem likely in the future, we normally use *hope + that-clause* with *present simple* or *future will* forms: I hope you'll get top marks in your English test  (NOT:  I wish you'll  get…) I can see you're not well now, but I hope you recover in time for the  match.  (NOT:  I wish you recovered… OR  I wish you'd recovered…  OR I wish you'll recover…)_

You will find examples on the net, but they are largely either non-natives, or people whose English is almost certainly a second language, or on sites from speakers whose English may be influenced by Latino or Creole or another language, or whose grasp of English is not the best (e.g. don't know the difference between it's and its).  I wouldn't advise learners of English to say "I wish that he finds love and inner peace"; it's non-standard English.

There are over 100 WR threads on "wish",  I can't find any (in this sense of wishing/hoping) that suggest "wish that + present tense" is acceptable, and in many of the threads native speakers have corrected the tense.


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