# I wish I was/were



## Salegrosso

TrentinaNE has just transformed _I wish I was with you_ into _I wish I were with you. _
But there is a beautiful song of Pearl Jam which begins just with _I wish I was..._
Is it wrong? Is it a kind of slang?


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## cscarfo

Simon & Garfunkel's Homeward Bound reads:
_I wish I was
Homeward bound_


Ciao


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## Salegrosso

Moral: singers say _I wish I was_. 
And poets?


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## audia

I wish  takes the conditional therefore ""I were"" is correct but since it is an exception it is losing use. More and more people are saying I wish I was in the conditional.I believe both are accepted now.
C.


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## TrentinaNE

Just as _il congiuntivo _gives many modern-day Italians some difficulty (not to mention students!), many English-speakers misuse the subjunctive on the rare occasions that English calls for it.  Song-writers and poets are no exception.  

Ecco un link utile.   

Ciao,
Elisabetta


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## Salegrosso

Ok, thank you. 
Similar phenomena are in Italian regarding the congiuntivo.
So, both are accepted but, I suppose, _I were_ is more elegant... is it so?

Ooops, I read now Elisabetta. Such a telepatia!!!

And thanks for the link.


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## audia

Sorry,
 Elisabetta is right it is subjunctive in this case not conditional but the misuse also occurs in the conditional.


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## virgilio

May I offer 2 alternative explanations of the phenomena.
(1) English words rarely indicate their syntax function by their spelling. If we were to think of words like "subjunctive and "indicative" as defining not the spelling of those words but their syntax function, we might say that the English imperfect subjunctive is coming to be written and pronounced as "was" instead of "were", as in the past.
(2) There can be a reason why - even in the past - "if I was" would be correct. Let me explain.
When we refer to a vague, indeterminate hypothetical  future, we can use 2 methods:
(a) If I were ever to say that, people would think etc.......
(b) If I ever said that, people would think etc...............

In other words (the subjunctive "were" followed by an infinitive) = a form of the verb identical with the simple past tense of the verb concerned.

Therefore, "If I were to be praised by that man, I would be greatly honoured"= "If I was praised by that man, I would be greatly honoured

QED, as they say in Maths (or "Math"), if you're American).

Virgilio


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## Alxmrphi

I don't use the subjunctive, whether it sounds bad or not, I would probably feel ashamed if I said "I wish I were" in public.....it's way too posh

"I wish I was" ... always.


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## lsp

Don't generalize about singer/songwriters not knowing the subjunctive.

If I were a carpenter and you were a lady…
If I were a rich man…
If I were the king of the world, I tell you what I’d do…
God bless the child that's got his own
Let it be

And I don't know if these also are in songs, but Alex and others probably use the subjunctive in English without realizing it on many occasions:

Let it be said
So be it
Be that as it may
God bless you
Wish you were here

And I'm sorry to hear that grammar is now too posh to use. I wonder then... what you're doing in a language forum trying to get the hang of it in a foreign language. Aren't you worried you'll feel too posh in Italian, or just your native tongue?


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## virgilio

lsp,
    And "So help me God", where "God" is not vocative, as is sometimes supposed.
Virgilio


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## lsp

virgilio said:


> lsp,
> And "So help me God", where "God" is not vocative, as is sometimes supposed.
> Virgilio



And the similar and also common, "God help me/us!"

And another lyric, "If I had a hammer..."


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## audia

Alex, since you use the word "posh" I assume your "cave"is in England and the people on "Mars" where you say are from were British English speakers. I believe in BE "was" is becoming more accepted than in AE. In AE it is a sign of poor English knowledge so watch out if you go to the US or translate for the US. Do my other countrymen ( I mean countrypeople )agree ? 
Also as a new user, I don't want to feel like I am stepping on the BE users toes when I interject an AE opinion but I also dont want to confuse the Italians. Aiuto!
C.


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## lsp

Alex_Murphy said:


> P.S - You can come here and seem like you are the one from Mars LSP if you like - as audia pointed out, I think it could be down to our seperate (sep*ara*te, easy to remember if you keep in mind the 2 a's are separated by an r)  countries, "I were" goes hand in hand with a posh accent, I think that's a fair summary of it.
> I think you're being a tad too presumptuous of understanging a foreign (English) way of using language where it couldn't be anymore normal (defining my city and not the whole of England btw), but I'll promise if I ever go to America I'll use "I wish I were" - not that I plan to go there anyway


Hmmm. You've never been to America but assume that we have an AE/BE difference at hand. I realize you've never asked me how much time I spend in England, or how many Brits I am surrounded by in a normal day. I am unwilling to accept that your assertion is representative of your entire country's opinion on the subject. Oh, wait... are you still speaking for cavedwellers on Mars?


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## cscarfo

My English grammar book "A practical English grammar" Thomson & Martinet, 1980, is very strict on this issue: 
Unreal past tenses (subjunctives) after wish and if only:
Note that we can say either I/he/she/it was or I/he/she/it were. were is the more correct form but was is often used, especially in conversation. Etc..
Ciao


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## Trina

It should be noted for all those people who are learning English as a second language that the subjunctive mood is alive and well (and if it were up to me, it would be spread to all the far-flung points of the galaxy ), and is not considered "posh" by all BE speakers.
"If I were..., I would...." is commonly used in both everyday speech as well as literature.
"If I were you, I would go to the doctor immediately." - I can't see how this would be considered to be "posh".


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## Avles

As Trina says, while this subjunctive is not always used in spoken English, it is still considered preferable by very many (and absolutely obligatory by some) and I think it is definitely worth learning for the foreign speaker, especially for use in writing. 

Like audia, I remember reading somewhere that the use of the indicative with the hypothetical "if" and "to wish" is more common in BE than in AE.

"If I was you" sounds plain wrong to me.


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## Sorcha

I personally think that the subjuntive should be used where appropriate and that it is by no means 'posh' to use it. It is simply correct!
Viva il congiuntivo!
I have also noticed that many Italians don't use it in everyday speech, would I be right i saying in that?


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## Salegrosso

Yes, but it is a frequent mistake. 
As in English... il congiuntivo is simply correct! And neglected.


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## kaineggs

Stamattina ascoltavo un programma della BBC
e tra le varie discussioni c'era quella tra la correttezza grammaticale
di I WISH I WAS...
La forma corretta sarebbe I WISH I WERE.
Ma non capisco perchè mai.
La coniugazione del verbo non è I WAS, YOU WERE, HE\SHE\IT WAS etc?
Non significa "spero che ero"
Vi ringrazio anticipatamente per la risposta,
Dario


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## Einstein

*I wish I were* è congiuntivo (*were* in tutte le persone). Ormai molti dicono *I wish I was* e *If I was...,* ma *were* è preferibile.


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## Citrinette

Einstein said:


> *I wish I were* è congiuntivo (*were* in tutte le persone). Ormai molti dicono *I wish I was* e *If I was...,* ma *were* è preferibile.


 

I knew that "I wish I were"  is the english conjunctive however I had also heard that "I wish I was" was just the regular rule of conditional. So I think both are correct.


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## kan3malato

kaineggs said:


> "spero che ero"


Ciao
In my opinion it's more like" Magari!! fossi...."


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## lsp

Citrinette said:


> I knew that "I wish I were"  is the english conjunctive however I had also heard that "I wish I was" was just the regular rule of conditional. So I think both are correct.



Both aren't correct by English grammar rules, but both are accepted by way of popular usage. I'm afraid it's not conditional, though.

EDIT: I think kaineggs means Spero ce ero =I wish I was, while Magari se fossi - I wish I were


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## TrentinaNE

Citrinette said:


> I knew that "I wish I were" is the *E*nglish subjunctive


Ciao, Citrinette. Have you been in Ravenna so long that you follow the Italian convention of not capitalizing foreign language names? Nice!  

Elisabetta


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## susanna.3

Ciao, in realtà l'uso di wish in questa forma si usa per qualcosa di cui siamo dispiaciuti:

You regret (are sorry about) a present situation

I wish+past simple

I wish I was/were taller 
I wish I brought the washer in


Nell'ultimo esame che ho dato was/were erano accettati allo stesso modo anche se facevano notare che were sarebbe più corretto.


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## Salegrosso

lsp said:


> Both aren't correct by English grammar rules


 
What's the third, correct one?


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## ElaineG

Salegrosso said:


> What's the third, correct one?


 
No, no, "I wish I were" _is_ correct.

LSP was replying to Citrinette's statement that "both are correct."

She intended "both are not correct, only one of them is."


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## Salegrosso

Ah, ok... I didn't read carefully the previous post, sorry.


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## _forumuser_

In a world where many barriers have fallen, many feel embarrassed to show they care about speaking "properly". I do too, sometimes, and deliberately choose the form that doesn't stand out in the situation I am in, right or wrong. The important thing, however, is to be natural when you use the subjunctive and not sound like you are applying the rule from the grammar book. If you do that, nobody will even notice you are using the "proper" form.


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## k_georgiadis

If I were Italian, I would apply the congiuntivo religiously where it is called for.


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## macforever

Riprendo la scia di un vecchio thread per dire che ho letto la seguente frase:
I wish_ I had been born_ rich: I could have afforded a new car!
Nella speranza che questo punto non sia già stato discusso nei termini in cui lo pongo io (non l'ho trovato nella funzione di ricerca), mi domandavo se il verbo indicato in corsivo potesse essere correttamente sostituito da un "I wish I was/were born".


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## Teerex51

Mac, la risposta è no -- se vuoi usare il tempo verbale corretto (e gli errori nel formulare questa frase sono all'ordine del giorno, che parli un _native speaker_ o meno)


_I wish I had been born [rich]_ --> vorrei essere nato [ricco]
_I wish I had never been born _--> vorrei non essere mai nato
_I wish I were/was born [again]_ --> vorrei nascere [di nuovo/rinascere]


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## macforever

Ciao Teerex51. Sono d'accordo con te. Sai, a forza di sentire cose non proprio esatte da parte di tutti, alla fine ti poni qualche problema.
Il grande Neil Young, in una sua famosa canzone, diceva _I wish i was a trapper...
_Ho notato che i moderni manuali di grammatica inglese, hanno ormai sdoganato come assolutamente corretto l'uso di _I wish I was.
_Thank you


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## Teerex51

Prego Mac 



			
				macforever said:
			
		

> ...hanno ormai sdoganato come assolutamente corretto l'uso di _I wish I was._



E' un po' come _who _e _whom. _La battaglia è quasi persa, almeno nell'inglese parlato...


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## london calling

Teerex51 said:


> La battaglia è quasi persa, almeno nell'inglese parlato...


I'm still up and fighting! My flesh crawls if I hear anyone say "I wish I was...."


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## kc1005

Me too!  I hear my high school students say this all the time...and so many people accept, and even believe that "I wish I was" is correct!  It bothers me as well and I'm always correcting them!


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## smashee

I think of "I were" as being similar to "io fossi"

Ad esempio: "Se fossi in te" ("If I were you)

If I were to jump of a bridge, I would drown...probably.
If I were "to do something", then "this thing/person" would "happen/be".


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## jumpinjellyfish

Far be it from me to stick my oar in but 'If i were' gets my vote everytime.

Other examples where it would be difficult if not impossible to substitute the subjunctive are:

Were I to get off the bus now...
Were he to know....
Notice how using 'was' instead of were in that last example changes the meaning entirely.
Were he to know, he would have a fit.
Was he to know? I really can't say.


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## Teerex51

smashee said:


> I think of "I were" as being similar to "io fossi"


And right you are, Smashee, seeing as it's the exact translation of it. 

But, as far as the jumping part goes, you jump _*off *_a bridge. 

..and welcome to this three-ring circus...


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## Einstein

I've noticed that various text-books for teaching Eglish to adults don't bother to say there's a different form for the past subjunctive of "to be"; they don't even talk about indicative and subjunctive and just say "past simple". I don't know if it's because the authors speak this way or because they're afraid of overloading the students.


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