man help: Is it ‘I wish I were a rich man’, or I wish I was a rich man’? - Help.com

I wish to be a rich man.

‘Was’ and ‘were’ are past tense, so it would be silly to wish to be rich in the past. The past is done. Be rich now!

From Fiddler on the Roof, it is: “If I were a Rich Man”.

president mindhealer wrote:
I wish to be a man.

That about says it….

southern_comfort, IP wrote:

president mindhealer wrote:
I wish to be a man.

That about says it….

That’s not one of my wishes…

Both are correct!!!!
“were” is more acceptable sort of. I would go with “were”.

I wish I could be a rich a man.

It depends upon the tense in which you are writing. Both can be correct in the proper context.

If you are referring to the song from Fiddler on the Roof it is “If I Were a Rich Man” la dee da dee da dee da dee da dee da dee da dee da all day long I’d fiddle with my thumbs, if I were a wealthy man.

It should be ‘were’.

When you speak of a hypothetical past, you use ‘were’ and not ‘was’.

What if you are speaking of a hypothetical present? Was?

The point of a wish is to bridge the hypothetical and the actual, so “I wish to be rich” starts as hypothetical as it comes true into being actual.

Dr. Rrrrrrr wrote:
What if you are speaking of a hypothetical present? Was?

I am not sure of there is a special rule for a hypothetical present. :-) I do remember this one, so I spoke with some confidence. Let me not answer hastily without doing any research first. :-) (The answer may be simple though - once/after we know it.)

president mindhealer wrote:
The point of a wish is to bridge the hypothetical and the actual, so “I wish to be rich” starts as hypothetical as it comes true into being actual.

I guess you inferred this to be a situation in someone’s life and you suggested what to do. Perhaps the person just wanted to know what is an accurate sentence (since ‘were’ seemed odd).

randomchatsmith wrote:

president mindhealer wrote:
The point of a wish is to bridge the hypothetical and the actual, so “I wish to be rich” starts as hypothetical as it comes true into being actual.

I guess you inferred this to be a situation in someone’s life and you suggested what to do. Perhaps the person just wanted to know what is an accurate sentence (since ‘were’ seemed odd).

I guess you’re saying that you have a perspective too…

president mindhealer wrote:

randomchatsmith wrote:

president mindhealer wrote:
The point of a wish is to bridge the hypothetical and the actual, so “I wish to be rich” starts as hypothetical as it comes true into being actual.

I guess you inferred this to be a situation in someone’s life and you suggested what to do. Perhaps the person just wanted to know what is an accurate sentence (since ‘were’ seemed odd).

I guess you’re saying that you have a perspective too…

Hope I don’t sound arrogant or something. Sometimes, words in such forums end up dividing people. That was not the intention.

Hello every rich man ,help me only $50000.(fifty thosand dollar ) emergency need
pl gave me that.Without any condition.This money help my family.
pl. wright me.

my Email i> small>(email removed) /small> /i>

randomchatsmith wrote:

president mindhealer wrote:

randomchatsmith wrote:

president mindhealer wrote:
The point of a wish is to bridge the hypothetical and the actual, so “I wish to be rich” starts as hypothetical as it comes true into being actual.

I guess you inferred this to be a situation in someone’s life and you suggested what to do. Perhaps the person just wanted to know what is an accurate sentence (since ‘were’ seemed odd).

I guess you’re saying that you have a perspective too…

Hope I don’t sound arrogant or something. Sometimes, words in such forums end up dividing people. That was not the intention.

You didn’t seem arrogant or anything to me. I just replied as appropriately as I knew.

lifelover wrote:

randomchatsmith wrote:

president mindhealer wrote:

randomchatsmith wrote:

president mindhealer wrote:
The point of a wish is to bridge the hypothetical and the actual, so “I wish to be rich” starts as hypothetical as it comes true into being actual.

I guess you inferred this to be a situation in someone’s life and you suggested what to do. Perhaps the person just wanted to know what is an accurate sentence (since ‘were’ seemed odd).

I guess you’re saying that you have a perspective too…

Hope I don’t sound arrogant or something. Sometimes, words in such forums end up dividing people. That was not the intention.

You didn’t seem arrogant or anything to me. I just replied as appropriately as I knew.

Great. :-)