# I wish I was



## tonyo3000

ese termino o expresion es comun en el ingles? es vulgar, culto, corriente? que significa? algo como "me hubiera gustado ser...."???

gracias


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## drei_lengua

tonyo3000 said:


> ese termino o expresion es comun en el ingles? es vulgar, culto, corriente? que significa? algo como "me hubiera gustado ser...."???
> 
> gracias


 
"I wish I was" no existe en inglés.  La frase correcta de acuerdo con la gramática es "I wish I were".  

Drei


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## tonyo3000

pero porque la letra de la cancion "creep" de radio head dice justamente 

"I want you to notice 
when I'm not around
You're so fuckin' special
*I wish I was special
*
But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doin' here?
I don't belong here, ohhhh, ohhhh""


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## Grekh

drei_lengua said:


> "I wish I was" no existe en inglés. La frase correcta de acuerdo con la gramática es "I wish I were".
> 
> Drei


 

Maybe that's the correct usage according to grammar, but my english teacher told us it was becoming acceptable to say "I wish I was".....and actually I've read some blogs where "I wish I was" is used..


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## Grekh

tonyo3000 said:


> pero porque la letra de la cancion "creep" de radio head dice justamente
> 
> "I want you to notice
> when I'm not around
> You're so fuckin' special
> *I wish I was special*
> 
> But I'm a creep
> I'm a weirdo
> What the hell am I doin' here?
> I don't belong here, ohhhh, ohhhh""


 
It's perfectly used. It is correct nowadays to use this grammatical structure.


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## drei_lengua

Grekh said:


> Maybe that's the correct usage according to grammar, but my english teacher told us it was becoming acceptable to say "I wish I was".....and actually I've read some blogs where "I wish I was" is used..


 
Hello Grekh,
Tell your English teacher that he/she will soon be out of a job if he/she keeps telling people that they can say anything they wish regardless of grammar.   

By the way, what kind of English teacher is this?  I would not take this teacher very seriously after hearing that it is okay to use "I wish I was ..".

"I wish I were ..." is used for a contrary to fact situations.  

 

Drei


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## mazbook

Hola tonyo:





tonyo3000 said:


> ese termino o expresion es comun en el ingles? es vulgar, culto, corriente? que significa? algo como "me hubiera gustado ser...."???
> 
> gracias


Es común pero un poco coloquial (de las reglas no es correcta).  Es como, "Deseo/quiero que sea..."

Saludos desde Mazatlán


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## drei_lengua

Tonyo3000, Grekh,

Songs and blogs don't always convey correct grammar usage.  Especially in songs, people may write something incorrectly for rhyming purposes.

Drei


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## jabogitlu

I feel drei_lengua is being especially harsh on this phrase!   While it may be true that it's ungrammatical, it's also important to convey to English learners how the language is *really* used.

"I wish I was," is a perfectly normal phrase, at least in America.  It won't get you any odd looks.  It's another example of common sense (I was, thus I wish I was) straightening out the rules of grammar. 

But, seriously, it's in the same category as "me and Tony are leaving."  Quasi-incorrect, but mostly only sniffed at by crotchety grammarians.


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## Christopher Holroyd

La gramática brota del uso común y no al revés, por lo tanto la palabra ¨irregardless¨ que es ¨regardless¨ ... ya se encuentra en el diccionario ¨irregardless¨ tras ser usado tanto. También frases mal escritas como la de arriba se imponen en el lenguaje. Lo lamento pero así es la vida


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## geostan

drei_lengua said:


> Hello Grekh,
> Tell your English teacher that he/she will soon be out of a job if he/she keeps telling people that they can say anything they wish regardless of grammar.
> 
> By the way, what kind of English teacher is this?  I would not take this teacher very seriously after hearing that it is okay to use "I wish I was ..".
> 
> "I wish I were ..." is used for a contrary to fact situations.
> 
> 
> 
> Drei



I'm with you on this one. "I wish I was" sounds perfectly horrid to my ear, but in all fairness to the other responders, one hears it all the time. This is not to say that I would use it, no more than I would say "ain't"  or "If we had've known..."  

I've reached the point where I impose the classical rules on myself, whether or not the current pundits want to allow everything. And then I recommend, rather than state something categorically.

Cheers!


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## jacinta

If you check the length of threads that deal with these examples, you will see how varied the opinions are on using "proper" grammar.  I think that we have come to accept bad grammar such as "Me and Ed went..." and "I wish I was..." because we are surrounded by people who speak that way and there are just too many to correct all the time.     Lyrics are notorious for bad grammar.  So, it becomes accepted.  It doesn't make it right, though.


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## olcountrylawyer

drei_lengua said:


> " 'I wish I was' no existe en inglés".
> 
> Drei



Resultados *1* - *10* de aproximadamente *1.720.000* de *"I wish I was"*.  (*0,09* segundos) 

Resultados *1* - *10* de aproximadamente *1.150.000* de *"I wish I were"*.  (*0,10* segundos


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## Redline2200

jacinta said:


> If you check the length of threads that deal with these examples, you will see how varied the opinions are on using "proper" grammar. I think that we have come to accept bad grammar such as "Me and Ed went..." and "I wish I was..." because we are surrounded by people who speak that way and there are just too many to correct all the time.  Lyrics are notorious for bad grammar. So, it becomes accepted. It doesn't make it right, though.


 
Yeah, I pretty much agree. I *hate *the phrase "I wish I was" because it sounds bad to me (and it is technically incorrect), however, I must admit that my feelings and its incorrectness do not change the fact that it is widely used and for the most part accepted in American speech. 

Whenever I hear this phrase, it makes me think of that popular 60's commercial jingle 
"_I wish I was an Oscar Meyer Weiner, that is what I truly want to be...." _


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## drei_lengua

jabogitlu said:


> I feel drei_lengua is being especially harsh on this phrase!  While it may be true that it's ungrammatical, it's also important to convey to English learners how the language is *really* used.
> 
> "I wish I was," is a perfectly normal phrase, at least in America. It won't get you any odd looks. It's another example of common sense (I was, thus I wish I was) straightening out the rules of grammar.
> 
> But, seriously, it's in the same category as "me and Tony are leaving." Quasi-incorrect, but mostly only sniffed at by crotchety grammarians.


 
Jabogitlu,
Please help me understand how "I wish I was" is common sense.  Also, with regard to "me and Tony", imagine hearing this in a formal speech.
I also hear country people use "We was ...".  Is this the next common plague?  Just because most people say or do something does not make it correct.  I am not being a stickler just for the sake of it.  Rather, I truly believe in the beauty of having nuances in a language, i.e. being able to distinguish between hypothetical and real situations.

Also mentioned was irregardless.  Just because it might be in a dictionary does not make this correct.  "ir = not", "less" = not/without.  Therefore, ir+regard+less = in effect "with regard" by having two negatives cancel each other out.

Additionally, in closing, while it is important to show foreigners to a language how the language is spoken, it is also important to use this forum to encourage correct usage so that we may be able to put this cancer into remission rather than having it spread.

Quiero que todos tengan un buen día y feliz año nuevo.
Drei


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## drei_lengua

Christopher Holroyd said:


> La gramática brota del uso común y no al revés, por lo tanto la palabra ¨irregardless¨ que es ¨regardless¨ ... ya se encuentra en el diccionario ¨irregardless¨ tras ser usado tanto. También frases mal escritas como la de arriba se imponen en el lenguaje. Lo lamento pero así es la vida


 
Hola Christopher Holroyd and everyone,

I would like to propose the following thought.  Imagine that all grammar were disregarded and watered down.  No more subjunctive, no more past tense, just get rid of a grammar rule each day.  Imagine how little we would have to discuss on the forum site.  Imagine that Spanglish started taking over and corrupting Spanish.  How boring the Spanish forum would be.  Let the beauty keep going.  Just like we need past tense versus present tense, we need subjunctive versus indicative. 

Feliz año nuevo a todos.  Voy a salir para emborracharme ahora!

Drei


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## olcountrylawyer

Dear Drei,

Do you allow for any change at all in language? You do recognize that the English we speak nowadays is quite different from that spoken in, say, the sixteenth century, don't you? 

Regards,

Ol' Country Lawyer


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## speedier

olcountrylawyer said:


> Dear Drei,
> 
> Do you allow for any change at all in language? You do recognize that the English we speak nowadays is quite different from that spoken in, say, the sixteenth century, don't you?
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Ol' Country Lawyer


 
I tend to agree with you Ol' Country Lawyer.

Oh how I wish that I had been (phew I nearly showed "*my broughtin's up then") a fly on the wall hundreds of years ago when people presumably complained - "doesn't it sound awful when these young folk say "you" instead of "thou". 

Language is alive, and in my view cannot be stunted.  Having said all that "Me and Tom went to the cinema" does grate on the ears ;-)



*Tynside speak for "the way that I was brought up" (though I was born and bred in Newport, and only learned this from sailing with "Geordies".


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## kevin77

*  I wish I was in Dixie, hooray! hooray!

*'I wish I was' is used commonly in UK, seldom do I hear 'I wish I were' maybe sometimes e.g. 'I wish that I were special'


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## roxcyn

Es obvio que se usa mucha pero lo correcto es "I wish I were"...fíjate bien:

I, you, he, she, they we were:

I wish I were
You wish you were
He wishes he were
She wishes he were
We wish we were
They wish they were  

Y además hay muchos hilos sobre este tema porque es el uso del subjuntivo en inglés.


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## roxcyn

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=333687


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## tonyo3000

si "I wish I was esta mal escrito. porque el preterito afirmativo de la primera persona del verbo "to be" es was??? como en I was sad yesterday but now I am happy??  es que con el verbo "wish" cambia el tiempo???

(es que en otro post que coloque me dicen que debe ser I wish I *were*)

disculpen la ignorancia.


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## roxcyn

Tony debes leer los otros hilos..

Por ejemplo

Si yo *fuera* el dentista, ganaría mucho dinero.
If I *were* the dentist, I would make a lot of money.

Pero:
I was happy all the time.
Estaba feliz todo el tiempo.


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## SpiceMan

El "I wish" funciona parecido al "ojalá" en español, es una expresión fija que requiere subjuntivo en vez de indicativo. En el caso de la expresión en inglés, además requiere que sea en pasado. 

El pretérito del subjuntivo de "to be" en inglés es "were" (para todas las personas, tanto singular como plural).

Ojalá fuera rico.
I wish I were rich.


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## nuri148

tonyo3000 said:


> ese termino o expresion es comun en el ingles? es vulgar, culto, corriente? que significa? algo como "me hubiera gustado ser...."???


 
Resumiendo:

- Es común, pero no es correcto (lo correcto es "I wish I were")
- Es coloquial, no necesariamente vulgar (lo puedes poner en una carta a tu amigo pero no en un escrito formal)
- El significado es variable, lo más justo q se me ocurre ahora mismo es "ojalá (yo) fuera/estuviera": I wish I were a millionaire (ojalá fuera millonario) "I wish you were here with me" (ojalá estuvieras aquí conmigo). También puedes traducirlo como "me gustaría ser/estar" o "desearía ser/estar", todo según el contexto.


> si "I wish I was esta mal escrito. porque el preterito afirmativo de la primera persona del verbo "to be" es was


Porque "I was" es pretérito del indicativo, en cambio la forma "I were" pertenece al modo subjuntivo: 
- If I was there, I can't remember a thing (si estuve allí, no me acuerdo de nada)
- If I were there, I could remember what happened (si estuviera allí, podría recordar qué pasó)


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## jimpofic

roxcyn said:


> Es obvio que se usa mucha pero lo correcto es "I wish I were"...fíjate bien:
> 
> I, you, he, she, they we were:
> 
> I wish I were
> You wish you were
> He wishes he were
> She wishes he were
> We wish we were
> They wish they were
> 
> Y además hay muchos hilos sobre este tema porque es el uso del subjuntivo en inglés.



Exactly.  And how many other English verbs other than "to be" have commonly used subjunctive forms?  "I wish I were" may be  grammatically correct, but isn't it an exception among thousands of examples of the form "I wish I (verb)"?

By the way, where can I buy that definitive, authoritative book of rules of English grammar published by the Royal English Academy so I'll know exactly what the rules are?  ;-)  Never mind - I prefer a language with dynamic grammar and syntax - it makes these forums a lot more interesting.


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## Thomas1

I can discern some opposition in some posts towards Drei's comment about the correct usage of the subjunctive in English. Although _I wish I was_ is commonly heard nowaydays, all who would use it in a test would be marked down for it. It is found as the wrong usage by many authors of the tests on English. So maybe not always the practical usage is the best way for the learners of English.  Personally, I perefer subjunctive too. 

Thomas


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## speedier

This discussion goes on elsewhere too:

http://www.englishforums.com/English/IWishIWasWereThere/bzvrw/Post.htm

edit:  and here

http://www.1-language.com/englishcourse/unit62_grammar.htm


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## olcountrylawyer

Hello, Thomas. 

I am an ESL teacher in Spain, and I can assure you that no one I know of here would mark a student down for using _was _instead of _were _to express counterfactual or conditional statements or in if-then statements. 

Indeed, the texts we use put very little emphasis on the so-called subjunctive mood. The authors of Oxford University Press's popular _New Headway_ _English Course, _for example, only mention the _possibility _of using _were _in second conditional sentences in a footnote: "We can use _were _instead of _was_, especially in a formal style." 

By the by, philologists do not even agree on whether or not there is an English subjunctive mood. You can find an article at tinyurl dot com slash yehsm2  in which the nay side is put forward. 

Regards,

Ol' Country Lawyer



Thomas1 said:


> Although _I wish I was_ is commonly heard nowaydays, all who would use it in a test would be marked down for it. It is found as the wrong usage by many authors of the tests on English.
> 
> Thomas


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## Thomas1

Hello Ol' Country Lawyer,

I studied English philology at a college and I can assure you that we were marked down for not using the subjunctive where it should be placed. The tests we sat were prepared by our lecturers (native and non-native English speakers). When I was learning English at my high school the teachers didn’t even mention anything called the subjunctive mood, but the further I went in my English education the more emphasis was put on it. On the other hand, maybe the level of English in high school (I guess it is comparable to what you call ESL) isn’t advanced enough to introduce the mood in question, nevertheless, at an academic level the distinction exists and is exacted. I don’t know if this means that I had picky professors who required something that _doesn’t have_ much to do with the reality but I don’t believe they taught me anything wrong either. Mind you, I am grateful to them that they showed me this “nuance” of English since now I know what changes, connotations, and tones it brings about.

Moreover, I don't think that *the existence of the subjunctive mood in English is disputable*, and against all allegations it is alive. That’s a fact and my opinion is that any attempts to refute this won't success (at least in the nearest future) because many people still use it and will. The thing is that the vast majority of people simply don’t recognize it anymore since its forms are in most cases identical with the indicative, but this really doesn’t mean that the subjunctive doesn’t exist in English, does it?  


Regards,
Thomas


olcountrylawyer said:


> Hello, Thomas.
> 
> I am an ESL teacher in Spain, and I can assure you that no one I know of here would mark a student down for using _was _instead of _were _to express counterfactual or conditional statements or in if-then statements.
> 
> Indeed, the texts we use put very little emphasis on the so-called subjunctive mood. The authors of Oxford University Press's popular _New Headway_ _English Course, _for example, only mention the _possibility _of using _were _in second conditional sentences in a footnote: "We can use _were _instead of _was_, especially in a formal style."
> 
> By the by, philologists do not even agree on whether or not there is an English subjunctive mood. You can find an article at tinyurl dot com slash yehsm2 in which the nay side is put forward.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Ol' Country Lawyer


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## olcountrylawyer

"Moreover, I don't think that *the existence of the subjunctive mood in English is disputable*, and against all allegations it is alive. That’s a fact and my opinion is that any attempts to refute this won't success [sic] (at least in the nearest future) because many people still use it and will."

Thomas, did you not take the time to read the article I linked to?


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## blnc

Hi everybody!

Hi Ol' CL
Which link?
Google: Resultados *1* - *10* de aproximadamente *82.700* de *"new headway english course"*.  (*0,05* segundos) 

And please, don't be so unpolite!


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## olcountrylawyer

Dear Blnc,

Was I _im_polite? To whom? I certainly did not mean to be.  I only wished to show that there is more than one side to this argument. By the way, I tend to be conservative in my usage, and I use _were _in the types of structures we are discussing, but I am of the opinion that we must accept that language changes with time.    

The link I mentioned was _tinyurl dot com slash yehsm2. _As I am a rookie here, I am not allowed to post proper links, so that will have to do for now. Have a look at it. It is quite an interesting read.
_
Por certo, estive em Vigo e Santiago em setembro. Xente muita boa! 

_ *O Vello Avogado do Campo*






blnc said:


> Hi everybody!
> 
> Hi Ol' CL
> Which link?
> Google: Resultados *1* - *10* de aproximadamente *82.700* de *"new headway english course"*.  (*0,05* segundos)
> 
> And please, don't be so unpolite!


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## El Guapo RN

Grekh said:


> Maybe that's the correct usage according to grammar, but my english teacher told us it was becoming acceptable to say "I wish I was".....and actually I've read some blogs where "I wish I was" is used..


 

What about that old commercial about the hot dogs......"I wish I was an Oscar Meyer Weiner....."


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## mariente

Por lo que tengo entendido I wish I was es AE. En BE usan were. Were es más común y siempre está bien, was está aceptado, no está mal, pero a lo mejor es más informal, yo que vos usaría I wish I were


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## Texas Heat Wave

Hola todos.  It seems to me that there are different kinds of bending of rules in English - some more accepted than others.  The "me and John" type is used often by young people, but is not generally accepted by most adults as good grammar.  The "I wish I was" problem is an example of the disappearance of the subjunctive in English.  How often do you hear people say, "It is important that you be on time"?  And let's not forget the split infinitives "to boldly go where no one has gone before" and all those pesky prepositions at the ends of sentences.  Was it Churchill who said, "That is the kind of nonsense up with which I will not put"?


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## olcountrylawyer

mariente said:


> Por lo que tengo entendido I wish I was es AE. En BE usan were. Were es más común y siempre está bien, was está aceptado, no está mal, pero a lo mejor es más informal, yo que vos usaría I wish I were



Discrepo. Lo de _I wish I was_ es muy común, tanto en el inglés británico como en el americano. 

El modo subjuntivo--si aceptamos que existe tal cosa en el inglés--está en pleno declive en en inglés británico:

AE: _Tom suggested that Mary *see* a doctor.
_BE_: Tom suggested that Mary *should*__ see a doctor.

_AE_: Lance demanded that the machine *undergo* a vigorous inspection.
_ BE_:__ Lance demanded that the machine *undergoes* vigorous tests.

_​Saludos,

Ol' Country Lawyer


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## speedier

I believe that the link to which Olecountrylawyer referred is as under:

http://alt-usage-english.org/subjunctive_supplement.html


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## mariente

olcountrylawyer said:


> Discrepo. Lo de _I wish I was_ es muy común, tanto en el inglés británico como en el americano.
> 
> El modo subjuntivo--si aceptamos que existe tal cosa en el inglés--está en pleno declive en en inglés británico:
> 
> AE: _Tom suggested that Mary *see* a doctor.
> _BE_: Tom suggested that Mary *should*__ see a doctor.
> 
> _AE_: Lance demanded that the machine *undergo* a vigorous inspection.
> _ BE_:__ Lance demanded that the machine *undergoes* vigorous tests._​Saludos,
> 
> Ol' Country Lawyer


Por eso dije por lo que tengo entendido, ya que no estaba segura, pero se que se usa. Está aceptado pero no es lo más correcto. Es siempre mejor decir: I wish I were. Sin embargo tu respuesta no tiene nada que ver con I wish I were


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## blnc

Hola Viejo abogado del campo
Perdona si entendí mal lo que habías dicho (y gracias por corregir lo de impolite). De hecho, cuando leí "... dot... " me di cuenta de que ya lo había leído ayer. 

Os galegos sómosche xente boa porque a terra é boa connosco  (non así os nosos gobernantes...)


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## roxcyn

http://www.bartleby.com/64/C001/061.html  Es una lectura muy interesante.  Saludos


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## jabogitlu

> and all those pesky prepositions at the ends of sentences. Was it Churchill who said, "That is the kind of nonsense up with which I will not put"?



This is really a myth of grammar made up late in the game and perpetuated by those whose jobs would not exist if it weren't for enforcing weird rules.  The only reason this even exists as a pseudo-rule in English is that it was a rule in Latin.

I am also in the camp that uses subjunctive when required, usually.  However I, like Lawyer, believe we should, if not accept that language changes, accept that there's enough room in the world for both types.  I think most of us do, but I have to pipe up when someone claims, 'This phrase (I wish I was) doesn't exist in English.' - Oh, but it does! And it is used by a great many people. And it is understood.  Why be the vanguard in protecting something (the loosening of rules in English) that's going to happen anyway, and when it does, no one will cry foul?


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## albaval

que es entonces I wish I was.. alguien me dice cual es la traduccion exacta?


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## ryryguy

estoy con drei. La forma correcta es "I wish I were" porque necesita el subjuntivo. El subjuntivo no esta usado mucho en ingles y muchas veces no esta reconocido como subjuntivo. Aunque ambos "I wish I was" y "I wish I were" son aceptables, la correcta es "I was I were"


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## roxcyn

jabogitlu said:


> This is really a myth of grammar made up late in the game and perpetuated by those whose jobs would not exist if it weren't for enforcing weird rules.  The only reason this even exists as a pseudo-rule in English is that it was a rule in Latin.
> 
> I am also in the camp that uses subjunctive when required, usually.  However I, like Lawyer, believe we should, if not accept that language changes, accept that there's enough room in the world for both types.  I think most of us do, but I have to pipe up when someone claims, 'This phrase (I wish I was) doesn't exist in English.' - Oh, but it does! And it is used by a great many people. And it is understood.  Why be the vanguard in protecting something (the loosening of rules in English) that's going to happen anyway, and when it does, no one will cry foul?



 I agree with you about the change, but the only thing I think about is that we are going from an easier system (one verb form for all subjects> I, you, he, she, we, they were) to a more complicated syteem> I was, you were, he was, she was, we were, they were.  I don't think that it is "bad" when someone says it, but trust me there are many people older that are surprised...


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## roxcyn

albaval said:


> ¿Qué es entonces I wish I was.. alguien me dice cuál es la traducción exacta?


    En aquel entonces mucha gente se decía "If I/you/he/she/we/they were.." (para las situaciones en español como "Ojalá fuera.." "Si fuera...."   Hoy en día en vez de usar la forma "were" para todos los sujectos en inglés, mucha gente se dice "I wish I was", "You wish you were", "He/She wishes he/she was", "we wish we were," and "they wish they were".  Así estas situaciones toman la forma de "to be" en el pasado simple.    Hay muchos ejemplos, sobre todo en los anuncios, las canciones y libros escritos por autores famosos.   Ejemplos:  "If I was a rich girl, I would own all the money in the world if I was a wealthy girl"--- Gwen Stefani "Rich Girl"  "If I was an Oscar Mayer Weiner....." --- Canción de los perros calientes de Oscar Mayer (no sé si lo escribí bien la marca).       Realmente no importa mucha porque si dices "I wish I were.." todo el mundo te entenderá.    Una traducción muy literal de "I wish I was" en español sería "Ojalá era un dentista" X  No es correcto en español, pero la gente se dice así en inglés porque el inglés no tiene muchas formas verbales


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## Ivy29

olcountrylawyer said:


> Dear Drei,
> 
> Do you allow for any change at all in language? You do recognize that the English we speak nowadays is quite different from that spoken in, say, the sixteenth century, don't you?
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Ol' Country Lawyer


<<*The Subjunctive Mood *


A verb is in the *subjunctive mood* when it expresses a condition which is doubtful or not factual. It is most often found in a clause beginning with the word *if.* It is also found in clauses following a verb that expresses a doubt, a wish, regret, request, demand, or proposal. 
These are verbs typically followed by clauses that take the subjunctive: *ask, demand, determine, insist, move, order, pray, prefer, recommend, regret,* *request, require, suggest,* and *wish. *​*
*In English there is no difference between the subjunctive and normal, or indicative, form of the verb *except* for the present tense third person singular *and* for the verb to be. 
The subjunctive for the present tense third person singular drops the *-s* or *-es* so that it looks and sounds like the present tense for everything else. 
The subjunctive mood of the verb *to be* is *be* in the present tense and *were* in the past tense, regardless of what the subject is. 

Incorrect: If I was you, I would run. 
Correct: If I were you, I would run. 
(The verb follows *if* and expresses a non-factual condition.) 
Incorrect: I wish he was able to type faster. 
Correct: I wish he were able to type faster. 
(The second verb is in a clause following a verb expressing a wish. It also suggests a non-factual or doubtful condition.) 
Incorrect: His requirement is that everyone is computer literate. 
Correct: His requirement is that everyone be computer literate. 
(Subordinate clause follows main clause with a demand.) 
Incorrect: He recommended that each driver reports his tips. Correct: He recommended that each driver report his tips. ​Sometimes we may use the *conditional* auxiliary verbs of *could, should,* or *would* to express the same sense. 
Subjunctive:I wish he were kinder to me. Conditional: I wish he would be kinder to me. ​Note: In modern English, the subjunctive is only found in subordinate clauses. >>>

Ivy29


----------



## drei_lengua

olcountrylawyer said:


> Hello, Thomas.
> 
> I am an ESL teacher in Spain, and I can assure you that no one I know of here would mark a student down for using _was _instead of _were _to express counterfactual or conditional statements or in if-then statements.
> 
> Indeed, the texts we use put very little emphasis on the so-called subjunctive mood. The authors of Oxford University Press's popular _New Headway_ _English Course, _for example, only mention the _possibility _of using _were _in second conditional sentences in a footnote: "We can use _were _instead of _was_, especially in a formal style."
> 
> By the by, philologists do not even agree on whether or not there is an English subjunctive mood. You can find an article at tinyurl dot com slash yehsm2 in which the nay side is put forward.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Ol' Country Lawyer


Hello Olcountrylawyer,

I was traveling and just now am getting caught up on this thread.  I saw some comments on "you" instead of "thou" and find these comments frivolous.   

I believe that some Americans struggle with foreign languages because of a lack of understanding of their own language.  For example, I was helping someone with Spanish one day.  He was fixated on "Me and John are going to the store." in Spanish and could not understand why Spanish uses "John y yo vamos a la tienda." instead of "John y me vamos a la tienda."  I have other examples too but am rushed with my notes bc I'm on lunchhour at the moment.

The more I read on the forum, the more I get the impression that the school system in the U.S. failed greatly in teaching us the proper usage of grammar.  I agree that everyday language came first, and then the grammar books documented the usage.  However, don't you think that we are limiting ourselves if we neglect to teach, promote, and use the subjunctive in English?  If we get rid of the subjunctive it would be like getting rid of a useful tool.  For example, let's say that a hammer is like the indicative and the screwdriver is like the subjunctive.  It is much easier to use the indicative in cases expressing factual situations and the subjunctive in cases expressing contrary to fact just like it is easier to use a hammer for a nail and a screwdriver for a screw, respectively.  So imagine we no longer have the useful subjunctive for expressing the contrary to fact situations.  This would be like having to use a hammer to drive in a screw.  Sorry for the long analogy.  I just feel that we are limiting our toolset, so to speak, if we keep watering down the language. 

What next?  "We wuz ..." I hear so many people say this.  Why don't we get rid of conjugation and just make it "I was, you was, he was, we was, they was."?  Getting rid of the subjunctive is a first step toward the above future usages.  Additionally, I find it shocking that an ESL teacher and the other teacher mentioned at the beginning of this forum would approve the degradation of our language.  I am not opposed to change at all contrary to what many believe.  However, I am opposed to limiting myself.  I want to be able to express hypothetical situations.

Gracias por tu atención.   
Drei


----------



## drei_lengua

olcountrylawyer said:


> Dear Blnc,
> 
> Was I _im_polite? To whom? I certainly did not mean to be. I only wished to show that there is more than one side to this argument. By the way, I tend to be conservative in my usage, and I use _were _in the types of structures we are discussing, but I am of the opinion that we must accept that language changes with time.
> 
> The link I mentioned was _tinyurl dot com slash yehsm2. _As I am a rookie here, I am not allowed to post proper links, so that will have to do for now. Have a look at it. It is quite an interesting read.
> 
> _Por certo, estive em Vigo e Santiago em setembro. Xente muita boa! _
> 
> *O Vello Avogado do Campo*


 
Olcountrylawyer,
How ironic!  You want to kill the subjunctive in English but you keep alive the "whom" word.  Who uses "whom" any more?  More people use the subjunctive than "whom".  Don't get me wrong here.  I liked the use of "whom" because I understand cases (nominative, dative, accusative, etc.) whereas most folks without an exposure to foreign languages do not understand cases. 

Drei


----------



## drei_lengua

olcountrylawyer said:


> Dear Blnc,
> 
> ...By the way, I tend to be conservative in my usage, and I use _were _in the types of structures we are discussing, but I am of the opinion that we must accept that language changes with time.
> 
> ...


 
Olcountrylawyer,
"but I am of the opinion that we must accept that language changes with time." 

Regarding your text, I agree that language changes.  However, I think that language should change to make it more useful, not less useful.  No one said that change had to be bad.  I like change for the better.  For example, we need a pronoun in English to express neuter "he" or "she" so that we can avoid ackward phrases like "he/she", alternating between he and she randomly (like some books do), and mismatch in number agreement (Each student should read their book.")  Any ideas for this neuter pronoun?  I am serious about this and think that it would be great and useful to have one.  I wish this *were* the case.

 
Drei


----------



## Haghenschlapfter

nuri148 said:


> Resumiendo:
> 
> - Es común, pero no es correcto (lo correcto es "I wish I were")
> - Es coloquial, no necesariamente vulgar (lo puedes poner en una carta a tu amigo pero no en un escrito formal)
> - El significado es variable, lo más justo q se me ocurre ahora mismo es "ojalá (yo) fuera/estuviera": I wish I were a millionaire (ojalá fuera millonario) "I wish you were here with me" (ojalá estuvieras aquí conmigo). También puedes traducirlo como "me gustaría ser/estar" o "desearía ser/estar", todo según el contexto.
> 
> Porque "I was" es pretérito del indicativo, en cambio la forma "I were" pertenece al modo subjuntivo:
> - If I was there, I can't remember a thing (si estuve allí, no me acuerdo de nada)
> - If I were there, I could remember what happened (si estuviera allí, podría recordar qué pasó)


 
¡Exacto!

Por si sirve por algo: yo ODIO el "I wish I was" (a menos que realmente uno quiere hablar del pasado) y suena terrible para mí.  Pero la realidad es que la mayoría de los anglófonos aqui (y parece que en el RU tmb?) lo dicen.  Yo siempre digo I wish I were, o If I were cuando hablo de lo hipotético.  Pero, ya no corrijo a mis estudiantes si lo dicen porque casi todo el mundo (los maestros como yo y los profesores de la universidad) dice If I was.  Es absurdo luchar contra un corriente tan grande y fuerte.  Y para qué?  El idioma cambia delante los ojos y aunque no estoy de acuerdo con el cambio no importa.  Puedo seguir con mi campaña fútil contra el nosequé o disfrutar el mero hecho de que tenga la oportunidad de ver el cambio mientras ocurre... qué guay, ¿verdad?

Alguien dijo q no importa si "mayoría" lo dicen... que no lo hace "correcto".  Pues, de ser así, qué, exactamente, lo hace "correcto" si no es la mayoría.  Recordemos que no tenemos los anglófonos una RAE, e incluso la RAE tiene que tener cuidado de no olvidarse de que el castellano es un idioma *vivo* y no estagnante y una rélica del pasado.  Si se olvidan de esto, la Academia no resultaría ser más que una peña de tipos viejos que se reunen para sentirse superories a y más importantes que el resto del mundo hispanohablante.

Bueno, así creo yo.


----------



## Haghenschlapfter

drei_lengua said:


> ...we need a pronoun in English to express neuter "he" or "she" so that we can avoid ackward phrases like "he/she", alternating between he and she randomly (like some books do), and mismatch in number agreement (Each student should read their book.") Any ideas for this neuter pronoun? I am serious about this and think that it would be great and useful to have one. I wish this *were* the case.
> 
> 
> Drei


Y existe: one (he she)/one's (him/her.  Pero, suena muy técnico y forzado.  YO creo que deberíamos aceptar lo que la mayoría ya dicen sin pensar: They.  Los "gramátifreaks" (palabra mía ) como yo diría que no es correcto porque "They" es PLURAL.  ¿y qué?  En realidad... ¿qué importa?  Realmente es "They" o "he".  En el mundo actual, no se puede considerar el último, a menos que se quiere ser acusado de ser ultrasexista y yo qué sé más.  Así qué es "they" o nada porque no podemos crear una nueva palabra (Yo sugiero "Ru" jajaja) y esperar que se usara por la mayor parte del mundo anglófono.

También creo que nos falta a los angloparlantes un solo pronombre ACEPTADO para el sujeto de la segunda persona, plural (es decir: vosotros o ustedes).  A mí me gusta el "y'all" del sud.  No soy del sud, pero creo que es una buena palabra.  "You all" agobia porque toma dos dos sílabas mientre que los demás sólo ocupen una.  You guys no funciona por el mismo razón Y porque técnicamente se refiere a los hombres (aunque muchos no lo distinguen así.  También aceptaría el "Yous" (con la ese no sonora al final) que creo que existe en Nueva Jersey (???).  pero, no vamos a aceptar ninguno de los dos porque nosotros (los norteños... yo incluído) nos creemos mejor y más educados al resto del país.  Pero, es verdad que nos falta un "vosotros" en inglés y a veces no es claro si se refiere a UNA persona o a VARIAS.

Pero, otra vez, si va a cambiar, no se puede obligar.  Si va a cambiar... cambiará.  Si no... no cambiará.  Si un es religioso, puede rezar.  Si no, puede esperar... pero ya está 

James


----------



## Sandra123

Hola:

"I wish I was" y "I wish I were" los dos son correctos gramaticamente. I wish I was implica que es una situacion real o sea, puede ocurrir. Y I wish I were es una situacion de fantacia. Por ejemplo, Deso ser (un) delfin. (I wish I were a dolphin) No puedes ser un delfin, entonces dices "I wish I were a dolphin." Sin embargo, se puede decir "I wish I was rich" o "I wish I were rich." En este caso "was" implica que puede que seas rico pero "were" implica que no es muy probable. (Deso ser rico.) Es similar a Quien pudiera volar!(If only I could fly!) o Si pudiera, estudiaria mas idiomas (If I could, I would study more languages./If I were able to, I would study more languages.) La primera frase suena mejor pero tambien se puede decir la segunda. 

Espero haberte ayudado.


----------



## speedier

drei_lengua said:


> Olcountrylawyer,
> "but I am of the opinion that we must accept that language changes with time."
> 
> Regarding your text, I agree that language changes. However, I think that language should change to make it more useful, not less useful. No one said that change had to be bad. I like change for the better. For example, we need a pronoun in English to express neuter "he" or "she" so that we can avoid ackward phrases like "he/she", alternating between he and she randomly (like some books do), and mismatch in number agreement (Each student should read their book.") Any ideas for this neuter pronoun? I am serious about this and think that it would be great and useful to have one. I wish this *were* the case.
> 
> 
> We can often avoid the he/she problem by pluralising.
> 
> For example, instead of "each student should read his/her/their book", we can use "all students should read their books".
> 
> However, it would be interesting to hear the suggestions for an alternative neuter word.


----------



## stevedp86

Si alguien está interesado en los consejos de gramático:
grammar.qdnow
(incluye .com)

es un Podcast tambíen si tienes iTunes o puedes escuchar para el sitio web.

Inglés es mi idioma materno y escucho todos los semanas y lo encontro muy útil. 

Aquí es enlace directo a el were/was pregunta.
grammar.qdnow.com/2006/09/14/subjunctive.aspx

*lo siento, no puedo post URLs


----------



## Butterfly_

Hi
I dont know if this is an old topic or if this is not. The thing is that I wanted to say that I know it is not correct to say "I wish I was" but hey! people are using it today. Im not saying is wrong or right. It is just a fact, no matter what we think. In addition, all languages in the world have changed.I'm not saying we are going to mix the present, the past and the future tense because that would be horrible. But, who knows? maybe some years from now people will think that we were using "bad english" because of the use of "I wish I were". (Althought, I will keep using it) =)

Have a good day


----------



## speedier

stevedp86 said:


> Si alguien está interesado en los consejos de gramático:
> grammar.qdnow
> (incluye .com)
> 
> es un Podcast tambíen si tienes iTunes o puedes escuchar para el sitio web.
> 
> Inglés es mi idioma materno y escucho todos los semanas y lo encontro muy útil.
> 
> Aquí es enlace directo a el were/was pregunta.
> grammar.qdnow.com/2006/09/14/subjunctive.aspx
> 
> *lo siento, no puedo post URLs


 


I know the feeling Steve - here is the link

http://grammar.qdnow.com/2006/09/14/subjunctive.aspx


----------



## Haghenschlapfter

Butterfly_ said:


> Hi
> I dont know if this is an old topic or if this is not. The thing is that I wanted to say that I know it is not correct to say "I wish I was" but hey! people are using it today. Im not saying is wrong or right. It is just a fact, no matter what we think. In addition, all languages in the world have changed.I'm not saying we are going to mix the present, the past and the future tense because that would be horrible. But, who knows? maybe some years from now people will think that we were using "bad english" because of the use of "I wish I were". (Althought, I will keep using it) =)
> 
> Have a good day


 
Amen sista'!


----------



## gaer

olcountrylawyer said:


> Thomas, did you not take the time to read the article I linked to?


http://alt-usage-english.org/subjunctive_supplement.html

Here is the link. It was a bit hard to figure out because you have not posted enough messages yet to be allowed to paste links. 

I happen to agree with this article except for one point, but I would have to discuss that with you a PM or in another thread. It would be off topic!

Gaer


----------



## kurumin

tonyo3000 said:


> ese termino o expresion es comun en el ingles? es vulgar, culto, corriente? que significa? algo como "me hubiera gustado ser...."???
> 
> gracias


 
I wish I were  / I wish I was 
tu hablaste / tu hablastes

Tu Hablastes is widely used in many spanish speaking countries, but the grammar says it is wrong.
The same is true of I WISH I WAS, IF I WAS YOU and so on...


----------



## gaer

drei_lengua said:


> Olcountrylawyer,
> How ironic! You want to kill the subjunctive in English but you keep alive the "whom" word. Who uses "whom" any more? More people use the subjunctive than "whom". Don't get me wrong here. I liked the use of "whom" because I understand cases (nominative, dative, accusative, etc.) whereas most folks without an exposure to foreign languages do not understand cases.


That's unfair.

Olcountrylawyer gave two clear examples of "between who", used by Shakespeare, in another thread, and he clearly did nothing more than attempt to "give the other side of the story".

What form of the subjunctive do people use more than "whom"?

The only one I see used commonly by people who do not have a thorough grasp of grammar in English is "were", and many sentences are wrong.

For instance, I frequently see sentences like this:

"If I were wrong, then I'm sorry."

I just read a book in which "were" was used incorrectly at least ten times. The author, not well-known, clearly did not understand the difference between subjunctive and conditional.

Gaer


----------



## Marias-espanol

Hoal drei_lengua,
I agree with you 100%. Just because someone uses a word wrong does't make it right. I wish we were able to make them understand.  Go to this page: http://englishplus.com/grammer/00000031.htm 
María


----------



## cjaccino

Muy chistoso, jajaja.  Fíjense bien, por favor: 

I wish (that) I was special.  = Espero/Deseo que era especial.  
I wish (that) I were special.  = Espero/Deseo que fuera especial. 

Estoy de acuerdo con drei_lengua.  Puede ser común, pero para mí, «_*was*_» es una cacofanía a mis oidos.

Recurso: 

Hodges' Harbrace Handbook, Edición 14, publicado en 2001.  Página 130.
ISBN: 0-15-506765-6

Dice: 

*Subjunctives are used under the following conditions...
*
1.  After *that* with such verbs as _demand, insist, move, recommend, request, suggest_...
2.  *To express wishes or a hypothetical, highly improbable, or contrary-to-fact condition* in _if_ or _as if_ clauses...

_*I wish I were*_ in Ashville. 
*If I were you*, I'd accept the offer. 
East as if every meal _were_ your last.

Búscalo en el internet.  Es barato.  E.E.U.U. $2 o $3.

**********

Very funny, hahaha.  Pay attention, please:

I wish (that) I was special.  = Espero/Deseo que era especial.  
I wish (that) I were special.  = Espero/Deseo que fuera especial. 

I agree with drei_lengua.  It may be common, but in my opinion, "*was*" is a cacophony to my ears.

Resource:  

Hodges' Harbrace Handbook, 14th edition, published in 2001.  Page 130.
ISBN: 0-15-506765-6

It says: 

*Subjunctives are used under the following conditions...
*
1.  After *that* with such verbs as _demand, insist, move, recommend, request, suggest_...
2.  *To express wishes or a hypothetical, highly improbable, or contrary-to-fact condition* in _if_ or _as if_ clauses...

_*I wish I were*_ in Ashville. 
*If I were you*, I'd accept the offer. 
East as if every meal _were_ your last.

Look for it on the Internet.  It's cheap!  US $2 or $3.


----------



## olcountrylawyer

"Búscalo en el internet.  Es barato. E.E.U.U. EE. UU. $2 o $3."​


----------



## cjaccino

Muchas gracias, Ol' Country Lawyer.


----------



## olcountrylawyer

De nada. 

"Puede ser común, pero para mí, «_*was*_» es una cacofanía a mis oidos oídos."​


----------



## gaer

olcountrylawyer said:


> 1) AE: _Tom suggested that Mary *see* a doctor._
> 2) BE_: Tom suggested that Mary *should*__ see a doctor._
> 
> 3) AE_: Lance demanded that the machine *undergo* a vigorous inspection._
> 4) BE_:__ Lance demanded that the machine *undergoes* vigorous tests._​


Here I have to strongly disagree with you.

Under no circumstance would I ever read sentence number four without cringing. I'm very strongly influenced by what I will call "BE authors". I wish I could find a better word. Until I hear otherwise, I refuse to believe that most people on the "other side of the pond" will agree with sentence four as being correct.

I also do not see a clear AE/BE difference between sentences one and two, which I think reflects a slight difference in style and emphasis.

_*Were*_ this "poor American" confronted with clear evidence to the contrary, it would demand that _*he make*_ a retraction.

(Of course the above sentence is forced in order to make a point and stay on topic.)  

There was another point I wanted to make, but it would be too far off topic.

Gaer


----------



## Haghenschlapfter

Aunque sí escucho "I wish I was" (y lo odio, aunque lo acepto también), nunca escucho "If I was" de gente minimalmente educada al menos que habla de algo que realmente pasó como "I was with you yesterday, I don't remember it".

Hay una línea fina a veces entre lo "aceptado" por el mundo comón y lo "correcto".

En cuanto a la frase "I wish I were", acepto que "I wish I was" no es realmente _in_correcto - de facto, es deicr, (aunque lo diga algunos textos de gramática) porque se oye de todas partes de la sociedad: los literarios, los trabajadores, los profesores, los jóvenes, los adultos... de todos sectores y parece que se habla así a menudo en Inglaterra también.  Pero, también MUCHA gente dice "I wish I were", no es una minoría insignificante y la diferencia entre las dos frases es que TODO el mundo va a aceptar "I wish I were" pero no se puede decirlo mismo par "I wish I was"... aún no.  Por eso, creo que es un perjuicio no ignorarlo en las Academias como aporta Ol Country Lawyer, que seguramente sabe más que yo con respeto al idioma, pero aquí la academia donde enseña no tiene razón.  Si hay que eligir sólo UNA forma (por no confundir a los alumnos), vale, pero que se elija la forma que todo el mundo (sobretodo en el esfero profesional) va a aceptar:  I wish I were.  Siempre parecerás más educado por decir I wish I were.

James


----------



## olcountrylawyer

Estimado Haghenschlapfter:

"Aunque sí escucho (oigo) "I wish I was" (y lo odio, aunque lo acepto también), nunca escucho (oigo) "If I was" de gente minimalmente (mínimamente) educada..."

Saludos,

Ol' Country Lawyer


----------



## sound shift

olcountrylawyer said:


> Estimado Haghenschlapfter:
> 
> "Aunque sí escucho (oigo) "I wish I was" (y lo odio, aunque lo acepto también), nunca escucho (oigo) "If I was" de gente minimalmente (mínimamente) educada..."
> 
> Saludos,
> 
> Ol' Country Lawyer



Bueno, Thom Yorke es licenciado en algo (University of Exeter, si no me equivoco) y sin embargo canta _*I wish I was special*_*

*Radiohead - Creep

Saludos


----------



## blnc

olcountrylawyer said:


> Estimado Haghenschlapfter:
> 
> "Aunque sí escucho (oigo) "I wish I was" (y lo odio, aunque lo acepto también), nunca escucho (oigo) "If I was" de gente minimalmente (mínimamente) educada..."
> 
> Saludos,
> 
> Ol' Country Lawyer



*Escucho* también está bien en estas oraciones. Puedes estar oyendo o escuchando. Cuando hablas con alguien, generalmente (a no ser que seas un maleducado), *escuchas* lo que dicen, y _de fondo *oyes*_ el murmullo de las otras personas.
En otro hilo, alguien decía "yes, dear" es lo que dicen los hombres cuando no están escuchando a sus mujeres. Yo añadiría, cuando no las escuchan pero las oyen hablar.

(Sé que esto es off topic, pero las correcciones gratuitas me molestan. Las recomendaciones son otra cosa...)


----------



## Haghenschlapfter

blnc said:


> *Escucho* también está bien en estas oraciones. Puedes estar oyendo o escuchando. Cuando hablas con alguien, generalmente (a no ser que seas un maleducado), *escuchas* lo que dicen, y _de fondo *oyes*_ el murmullo de las otras personas.
> En otro hilo, alguien decía "yes, dear" es lo que dicen los hombres cuando no están escuchando a sus mujeres. Yo añadiría, cuando no las escuchan pero las oyen hablar.
> 
> (Sé que esto es off topic, pero las correcciones gratuitas me molestan. Las recomendaciones son otra cosa...)


 
Gracias.  Iba a empezar otro hilo acerca de eschuchar/oír porque a MI me sonaba bien, pero como soy guiri...   Gracias.


----------



## Haghenschlapfter

olcountrylawyer said:


> Estimado Haghenschlapfter:
> 
> "Aunque sí escucho (oigo) "I wish I was" (y lo odio, aunque lo acepto también), nunca escucho (oigo) "If I was" de gente minimalmente (mínimamente) educada..."
> 
> Saludos,
> 
> Ol' Country Lawyer


Gracias por lo de "mínimamente"


----------



## Haghenschlapfter

sound shift said:


> Bueno, Thom Yorke es licenciado en algo (University of Exeter, si no me equivoco) y sin embargo canta _*I wish I was special*_*
> 
> *Radiohead - Creep
> 
> Saludos


 
¿Supongo que te refieres a MI poste (asi se dice)? Si lo lees de nuevo, verás que he dicho que la gente mínimamente educada no dicen "If I was". " I wish I was" es otra cosa que sí se oye como en tu canción de Radiohead. Pero "If I was".... YO no lo escucho. Seguro que hay canciones y poemas en los cuales se ve/escucha tal frase, pero está efectivamente mal según mi experiencia. Enseño en la escuela secundaria y ni escucho a mis estudiantes (los mismos que dicen "I can speak _good)_ al decir "If I was." Uno pensaría que si se oye a menudo "I wish I was" que se oiría "If I was"... pero yo no, por lo menos, a menos que la persona no es muy culta. ¿Tal vez es diferente en el RU? De ser así, no podría juzgaros... si se acepta allá, se acepta allá, punto. Pero por mi experiencia, no se acepta "If I was" acá.


----------



## olcountrylawyer

blnc said:


> *Escucho* también está bien en estas oraciones. Puedes estar oyendo o escuchando. Cuando hablas con alguien, generalmente (a no ser que seas un maleducado), *escuchas* lo que dicen, y _de fondo *oyes*_ el murmullo de las otras personas.
> En otro hilo, alguien decía "yes, dear" es lo que dicen los hombres cuando no están escuchando a sus mujeres. Yo añadiría, cuando no las escuchan pero las oyen hablar.
> 
> (Sé que esto es off topic, pero las correcciones gratuitas me molestan. Las recomendaciones son otra cosa...)



Estimado Blnc:

Debo decirle que me ha sorpredido el tono iracundo de su mensaje. Le aseguro que hice las correcciones sin el más mínimo ánimo de ofender.  

En cuanto a la polémica  suscitada en torno a la utilización de los verbos _oír_ y _escuchar_, discrepo con usted. 

El castellano posee dos verbos,  procedentes de los latinos _audire_ y _auscultare_, con significados         diferentes: _oír_ y _escuchar_. Según indica el DRAE,  _oír_ significa "percibir con el oído los sonidos" y _escuchar_ "aplicar el oído para oír, prestar atención a lo que se oye".

Estoy segurísimo que nuestro contertulio, Haghenschlapfter, es un caballero consumado que siempre presta atención a los que le dirigen la palabra. En mi humilde opinión, lo que desea expresar es que jamás percibe con los oídos a ninguna persona culta decir, por ejemplo, _I wish I was a king  _porque, se entiende,  de las bocas de personas como él,  dotadas como son de instrucción lingüística,   no saldría bajo ningún pretexto frase tan vulgar.  

En espera de su respuesta, le saluda atentamente


Ol' Country Lawyer


----------



## mariente

recomiendo que uses I wish I were


----------



## ricksd

tonyo3000 said:


> ese termino o expresion es comun en el ingles? es vulgar, culto, corriente? que significa? algo como "me hubiera gustado ser...."???
> 
> gracias



Cómo les parece una traducción con "ojalá"?: 
  I wish I were/was rich -> Ojalá que fuera rico


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## Haghenschlapfter

ricksd said:


> Cómo les parece una traducción con "ojalá"?:
> I wish I were/was rich -> Ojalá que fuera rico


 
También funciona "If only" para Ojalá.

Ojalá que fuera rico.
-I wish I were rich.
-If only I were rich.


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## mariente

Haghenschlapfter said:


> También funciona "If only" para Ojalá.
> 
> Ojalá que fuera rico.
> -I wish I were rich.--> ojalá fuera rico.
> -If only I were rich.--> si sólo fuera rico......


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## Haghenschlapfter

¿Sí?  ¿Podría ser algo regional?.  Yo pensé que se podía decir "que" después de "Ojalá" y, de hecho, que era normal en algunos países decirlo así.  ¿Qué dicen los demás?

Gracias mariente.  No es que no me fíe de ti.  No tengo duda de que en Argentina el "que" aquí no suena bien.  Sólo quiere averiguar si es una preferencia regional o una regla fija.

James


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## Haghenschlapfter

Acabo de buscar "ojalá que" en Google y encontró 1.370.000 ejemplo.


PERO, aunque esto me dice que se acepta "Ojalá que", no me dice que suene mejor o igual.  Desde luego para mariente no suena bien, y supondré lo mismo para los demás argentinos.  Pero ¿suena bien (o incluso mejor) para los de otros países representados aquí?


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## olcountrylawyer

En mi opinión, ambas formas (con o sin "que"), son correctas.

Ol' Country Lawyer


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## Haghenschlapfter

OCL,
Es posible que como los dos estudiamos en España que las dos formas sean correctas en España. Espero ver respuestas de los nativos (de varios países) y posiblemente ver si tiene preferencias aq acepten las dos formas.

Gracias por tu punto de vista.  Pensaba que había inventado la estructura jejeje

James


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## mariente

Me parece bien que quieras tener otras opiniones

Pero en este caso el que suena muy mal

Podría usarse en este caso
a: va C a la fiesta?
c:  no sé, ojalá que vaya , no es imprescindible que esté pero bueno.
 Aunque sí es impresincible si c contestara: ojalá que sí


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## Haghenschlapfter

Pero ¿cuál es la diferencia entere "Ojalí que fuera" (que dices que está mal) y "Ojalá que vaya" (que dices que es aceptable)?

¿Es el tiempo/modo del verbo lo que importa? (¿subjuntivo vs subjuntivo del pasado?)


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## mariente

En realidad no sé cómo explicártelo, pero me suena mejor así.


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## Haghenschlapfter

hasta ahora, creo que es algo regional.  Pero espero a las respuestas de los demás nativos.


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## ricksd

Lo interesante es que pasa algo semejante en inglés.  O sea, pueden decirse: "I wish you were rich" y "I wish that you were rich".  Pues yo diría que éste es mucho menos común que aquél, pero los dos suenan bien.


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## Haghenschlapfter

Si, pero normalmente no se puede evitar el "que" en español.  Esta parece ser una excepción a una regla que suele ser bastante concreto y sin excepciones.  Y lo acepto (no se puede negar).

Pero,  lo interesante es que en Argentina (y seguramente en otros países aunque no se cuales) no solo se ACEPTA la forma sin "que" sino se *prefiere* casi hasta no aceptar la otra forma CON "que".

Tal vez deba yoo empezar otro hilo pq parece que los hispanohablantes no pasan por aqui.


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## sappy16

Hola
la frase 'I wish I was...' no es correcta. es una corrupción de la lengua ingles. la frase correcta, como ya dijeron alguienes, es 'I wish I were...'. En espanol, es el equivalente de 'ojala que sea...', 'deseo que sea...' o 'quiero que sea...'.

espero que te ayudé


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## Ivy29

sappy16 said:


> Hola
> la frase 'I wish I was...' no es correcta. es una corrupción de la lengua ingles. la frase correcta, como ya dijeron alguienes, es 'I wish I were...'. En espanol, es el equivalente de 'ojala que sea...', 'deseo que sea...' o 'quiero que sea...'.
> 
> espero que te ayudé


 
I wish I were= Ojalá fuera/fuese
I wish I be = Ojalá yo sea.

Ivy29


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