I wish I could just wake up and it not be true.

[Marika33]

I came across this line and got a little puzzled.

• I wish I could just wake up and it not be true.
  (source)

Should it be either of these (I'm not sure which one, though)?

• I wish I could just wake up and it weren't true.
• I wish I could just wake up and it wouldn't be true.

 

[emsr2d2]

I wouldn't really paraphrase it as either of your suggestions (or at all!) The best I can do is "I wish I could wake up and find that the thing that is currently true is no longer true".

 

[Marika33]

The best I can do is "I wish I could wake up and find that the thing that is currently true is no longer true".

This is quite a long version

Is neither of my two suggestions good?
It's just that I've never seen "and it not be true" before (unless it's the present subjunctive "I suggested that he not be late").

 

[Tarheel]

@Marika33 Do you know what it means?

 

[emsr2d2]

This is quite a long version.

I'm aware of that. I wasn't suggesting that it was a good paraphrase of the original. I wouldn't try to reword the original at all. Sometimes, a sentence just needs to stay exactly as it is.

 

[Piscean]

It's just that I've never seen "and it not be true" before (unless it's the present subjunctive

It is.

 

[Marika33]

It is.

I can say "I wish it not be true"? I didn't know that. I would've always said "I wish it were not true".

 

[emsr2d2]

I can say "I wish it not be true"? I didn't know that. I would've always said "I wish it were not true".

Piscean said "... and it not be true" is the present subjunctive. That's not the same as "I wish it not be true".

 

[Marika33]

Piscean said "... and it not be true" is the present subjunctive. That's not the same as "I wish it not be true".

I'm sorry, could you please explain to me why it is that "I wish it not be true" should be "I wish it weren't true",
but in this sentence "I wish I could just wake up and it not be true", "not be" is fine and doesn't have to be "weren't" instead?

 

[Tarheel]

@Marika33 I'm not sure you understand the meaning of the sentence in question.

*I wish I could just wake up and it not be true.*

The speaker is saying that he wishes he could go to bed, and then when he wakes up the troubling situation no longer exists.

 

[EngLearner]

Are these versions correct:

A. I wish it wouldn't be true when I wake up.
B. I wish it not be true when I wake up.

 

[emsr2d2]

Are these versions correct?

A. I wish it wouldn't be true when I wake up.
B. I wish it not be true when I wake up.

A is grammatical but not very natural. We wouldn't use "wish" in that context. We'd use "hope". "I hope it isn't true when I wake up."
B is ungrammatical.

 

[EngLearner]

The speaker is saying that he wishes he could go to bed, and then when he wakes up the troubling situation no longer exists.

C. I wish I could just wake up and the troubling situation no longer exist/exists.

Is either option correct in version C?