![]() We should only use ‘was’ to talk about past situations that we desired to be true. No one will misunderstand you or the meaning of your sentence if you say “I wish I was taller.” But “I wish I was…” also has another use and meaning. ‘I wish I was…’ is not entirely incorrect. Of course, you have no control over whether the person has a happy birthday or not, but you can want it to be true for them anyway. ‘I wish you a happy birthday,’ means I hope you have a happy birthday. ‘I wish I were…’ means that you would prefer a different situation to be true. It’s important to remember that a wish about a hypothetical desire is not the same as a happy birthday wish. We are talking about a desire in the present that we know is not possible. We use ‘were’ instead of ‘was’ in this grammar structure because we are not talking about the past. The subjunctive mood is used when the speaker does not think their desire is possible in the immediate present or near future. The subjunctive mood expresses something that is wanted or desired but is not immediately possible. ‘I wish I were…’ forms the subjunctive mood in English. ![]() We simply think about and express our desire for a situation we wish were true in the present or future. The want or desire is unreal, impossible or only potentially possible. ‘I wish I were…’ is a sentence structure that we use in English to express a want or desire. However, there is one scenario when we break these rules in English and use ‘I were’ instead of ‘I was.’ You’re guaranteed to hear native English speakers say, “well, if I were you…” or “I wish I were…” and, if I were you, I’d continue reading this blog to find out why. When the subject is ‘I,’ we usually only have one option to form the past tense of the verb ‘to be:’ ‘I was…’ If you’ve studied English, you’ll know that the verb ‘to be’ has many different forms in the present and the past. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |