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    Is It “I Wish I Was” or “I Wish I Were”?

    The traditional grammatically correct form is "I wish I were," which employs the subjunctive mood to express hypothetical or contrary-to-fact situations.

    Grammatical Explanation:

    • The subjunctive mood is used after "wish" to indicate something contrary to current reality.
    • "I wish I were taller" (implying that I am not currently tall)
    • "I wish I were on vacation" (suggesting I am not currently on vacation)


    The subjunctive "were" has historically been the standard form in formal writing across all persons (I/you/he/she/it/we/they).


    But nowadays in spoken and informal contexts, "I wish I was" has also become increasingly common and accepted.

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