Should It Be ” I Wish I Were or I Was”?

So Why Is It “I Wish I Were”? and not “I Wish I Was?”

This is a good question. When we say “I wish I were”, we are using something called the “subjunctive mood.”

The subjunctive is used when you refer to potential or hypothetical situations. For example when you wish for something that doesn’t exist yet. For example “I wish I were” is grammatically correct because you’re wishing for something that hasn’t occurred yet. Do you remember the Tevye’s song from Fiddler on the Roof, “If I Were a Rich Man?” When you start the sentence with “if” indicates the potential nature of the situation. It is a situation that doesn’t actually exist yet, and the subjunctive should be used. When it it becomes real, you can switch back to “was.”

“I wish I were in Natchitoches touring the filming sites of “Steel Magnolias”.

Call Barbara (Tour Natchitoches with Barbara) 318.663.5468 and it will become “real” for you by being in Natchitoches instead of wishing you were.

Tour the filming sites of the memorable movie and recite the lines spoken at each place. It is so much fun you can even bring the “Ouiser” in your group. Oh, you say you are the “Ouiser” in your group! No problem. Get your people together and come to Natchitoches. You will have a blast and surely your mood will be improved.