I wish he was there now vs I wish he were there now

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'I wish he was there now' is commonly used in informal speech, while 'I wish he were there now' is more formal and follows the subjunctive mood. The choice between 'was' and 'were' depends on the level of formality you want to convey.

Last updated: March 24, 2024 • 856 views

I wish he was there now

This phrase is correct and commonly used in informal speech.

This phrase is used in informal contexts to express a wish about the present. 'Was' is the past tense of 'is', and in this case, it is used to convey the idea of wishing for something that is not true in the present.

Examples:

I wish he was here right now.
I wish she was more understanding.
I wish it was sunny today.

Show examples from the web [+]

I wish he were here now.
I wish he was here now instead of me.
Now I wish he was just wasting his money at the bicycle races.
I wish now to pay tribute to the fine work done by the Committee on Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities.
I wish now, however, to stress the importance of Galileo's later potential applications, especially in trans-European satellite-based broadband communication systems.
I wish now I had, 'cause old Sparky ran out in front of a Cadillac, and got splattered like a watermelon in one of them Gallagher shows.
Also tell her that I will do as I wish from now on.
I wish they review now there are some obstacles overcome.
I wish here and now to express my deepest disgust.
I would like to call at this point for the European Union itself to take the lead by good example, and I wish now to refer to two areas of current significance in which we can do something tangible, namely asylum policy and immigration policy.
I wish now to offer you my blessing, indeed, my encouragement, to speak to Katherine.
We all now wish he'd fall in a hole.
I wish you'd go now.
Two minutes I wish I had back now.
Now I wish I had never left home.
Now I wish I had never been part of it.
I wish you'd go now.
Now I wish I would've listened in science.
Now I wish you weren't here.
I wish it was right now.

Alternatives:

I wish he were there now
I wish he were here right now
I wish he were more understanding
I wish it were sunny today

I wish he were there now

This phrase is correct and follows the subjunctive mood, commonly used in formal contexts.

This phrase is used in more formal contexts to express a wish about the present. 'Were' is the subjunctive form of 'to be', and it is used to convey hypothetical or unreal situations.

Examples:

I wish he were here right now.
I wish she were more understanding.
I wish it were sunny today.

Show examples from the web [+]

I wish he were here now.
I wish he was here now instead of me.
Now I wish he was just wasting his money at the bicycle races.
I wish now to pay tribute to the fine work done by the Committee on Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities.
I wish now, however, to stress the importance of Galileo's later potential applications, especially in trans-European satellite-based broadband communication systems.
I wish now I had, 'cause old Sparky ran out in front of a Cadillac, and got splattered like a watermelon in one of them Gallagher shows.
Also tell her that I will do as I wish from now on.
I wish they review now there are some obstacles overcome.
I wish here and now to express my deepest disgust.
I would like to call at this point for the European Union itself to take the lead by good example, and I wish now to refer to two areas of current significance in which we can do something tangible, namely asylum policy and immigration policy.
I wish now to offer you my blessing, indeed, my encouragement, to speak to Katherine.
We all now wish he'd fall in a hole.
I wish you'd go now.
Two minutes I wish I had back now.
Now I wish I had never left home.
Now I wish I had never been part of it.
I wish you'd go now.
Now I wish I would've listened in science.
Now I wish you weren't here.
I wish it was right now.

Alternatives:

I wish he was there now
I wish he was here right now
I wish he was more understanding
I wish it was sunny today

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I wish he was there now vs I wish he were there now