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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

"Wishing I were" or "Wishing I was"

Which sentence below is correct:


"I wish I were in France."
"I wish I was in France."

I know it changes with the subjunctive, "if I were in France", but does that apply here too. In Spanish, if the subject does not change it is: I wish to be in France (Espero ser en Francia). However, that does not sound right in English.
  

Top answer

" Both are correct. "I wish I were" is the traditional subjunctive form, as you say. " In this case, "was" does not indicate past tense.

— Avangi

  • " Both are correct.
  • "I wish I were" is the traditional subjunctive form, as you say.
  • " In this case, "was" does not indicate past tense.
  • Whether or not you still call it "subjunctive," is beyond me.
  • "I wish to be in France" is correct, but uncommon.
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4 Answers
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"I wish I were in France."
"I wish I was in France."


Both are correct.

"I wish I were" is the traditional subjunctive form, as you say.

In modern English, it's acceptable to substitute "was" for "were." In this case, "was" does not
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AvangiIn modern English, it's acceptable to substitute "was" for "were." In this case, "was" does not indicate past tense. Whether or not you still call it "subjunctive," is beyond me.

'Was' most certainly does indicate past tense. The crucial point is that 'was' is a tense form, but the 'were' in "I wish I were in France" is a mood form. So, "I wish I w
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BillJ'Was' most certainly does indicate past tense.
I agree with you that a tense is a tense. I really can't say under what license "was" can now be substituted for the subjunctive "were."

But what I meant by my earlier statement is/was that "I wish I was in France" means "I wish I was in France right now!" Not, "I wish I had been in France yesterd
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The correct translation for “I wish to be in France “ is “Espero estar en Francia”.

To be in spanish is “ser” o “estar”

Best Regards.

Armando Aguiar

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