The correct use of were/was

[Eudora13]

Which of the two is correct grammatically?

I wish I were rich.

or

I wish I was rich.

I wish it were done.

or

I wish it was done.

I wish life were easy.

or

I wish life was easy.

I wish he were mine.

or

I wish he was mine.

[petesede]

I was rich

It was done

Life was easy

he was mine.

The correct conjugation for I and he/she/it  is ´was´.

The correct conjugation for  you, we and they is ´were´ ( none of your examples)

I was

You were

he/she/it  was

We were

You were

They were

[LauraM]

Which of the two is correct grammatically?

I wish I were rich.

or

I wish I was rich.

I wish it were done.

or

I wish it was done.

I wish life were easy.

or

I wish life was easy.

I wish he were mine.

or

I wish he was mine.

All of these sentences use the subjunctive mood.  It's used to convey some kind of emotion rather than a fact; a wish, a desire, etc.

The use of "I wish" is the clue here and thus makes it quite easy to identify.  But these days, not everyone uses it and so you will sometimes see it written incorrectly.  For instance'  "I wish I was rich" instead of "I wish I were rich" which is the correct form.

But in all cases, it would be "were" as that is the correct form of the verb "to be" in the subjunctive mood.

I wish I were rich.

I wish it were done.

I wish life were easy.

I wish he were mine.

[Eudora13]

So in the subjunctive mood it is always "were" for the verb "to be", no matter what the subject (I, he, it, etc)? I knew it would be were because that's how i say it, but I never knew the grammatical reason behind it.

[pandandesign]

I believe was is use when you have the first person in the past tense form. On the other hand, were is use when you have second and third person in the past tense form.

For example:

I was going to work.

You were nice to me.

They were heading home.

[Hardison]

I was rich

It was done

Life was easy

he was mine.

The correct conjugation for I and he/she/it  is ´was´.

The correct conjugation for  you, we and they is ´were´ ( none of your examples)

I was

You were

he/she/it  was

We were

You were

They were

This is what I was taught!  Was is used when the subject is singular. Were is used when the subject is plural. Also, you is taken to be plural even when you are talking to one person.

I have forgotten about subjunctive verbs. I need to do a brush up.

[Eudora13]

This is what I was taught!  Was is used when the subject is singular. Were is used when the subject is plural. Also, you is taken to be plural even when you are talking to one person.

I have forgotten about subjunctive verbs. I need to do a brush up.

Exactly the case with me! I seem to have forgotten all my grammar beyond the bare basics. I just speak by way of habit. Unfortunately that won't be of adequate help during exams. "Was" is not just used when the subject is singular. See, that's where the dilemma lies! I still need to get this thing more clear...

[MyDigitalpoint]

Was and were can be used with I, he, she it but it's tricky as Laura explained.

For the regular conjugation of the verb "to be," was is the correct form, but subjunctive is mostly determined by the context of the expression.

Or at least this is the way I differentiate the use of one or another form.

[lizbeth19hph]

"Was" used in singular form (he, she , it, I)

"Were" used in plural form (they, we)

That's common knowledge in grammar as was taught in school starting at pre-school.

In this case "If I were you...", that's the time you use "were"

[littleredcookbook]

"Was" used in singular form (he, she , it, I)

"Were" used in plural form (they, we)

That's common knowledge in grammar as was taught in school starting at pre-school.

In this case "If I were you...", that's the time you use "were"

Yes.... for past tense. In the subjunctive, "were" is the go-to. It doesn't get conjugated in the subjunctive, it's just "were" for pretty much everything.

"Were I a sailor..."

"If she were me..."

"If they were a bit taller..."

If X were Z, Y would/could A. Generally speaking.

"If I were taller, I could reach the top shelf."

"If they were here, they could have a piece of this delicious pie."

"If he was my dad, we could play catch on Saturdays."

[pandandesign]

"Was" used in singular form (he, she , it, I)

"Were" used in plural form (they, we)

That's common knowledge in grammar as was taught in school starting at pre-school.

In this case "If I were you...", that's the time you use "were"

Also, 'were' used in 'you' too. Great post here. I learned them at pre-school too.