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Often times, a situation comes up and I want to use the expression "I wish!" For instance, somebody asks me: "Is that brand new car yours?" or "Was that you who I saw winning $1000?"

However, I don't think that simply saying "Ich wünsche!" is appropriate for this (of course I could be wrong, in which case please let me know).

So could someone please help me with a good translation for "I wish!" ?

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2 Answers

up vote 40 down vote accepted

In such kinds of situations "schön wär's" is the term of choice. You could also say "Ich wünschte es wäre so.". "Ich wünschte" or "Ich wünsche" will never be used alone.

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Note that "Schön wär's!" has the emphasis on the second word. –  Phira May 25 '11 at 5:14
Definitely "Schön wär's". Not only is it the best translation, it also has the exact same meaning and usage. –  Florian Peschka May 25 '11 at 5:42
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Alternatively, a figure of speech you could use here is "Dein Wort in Gottes Ohr!". (Dict.cc translates that as "Let's hope so, by goodness!".)

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This does not mean the same thing. "Dein Wort in Gottes Ohr" is used after the conversation partner expressed a wish, to express the speaker's desire that this wish shall become true. –  cemper93 Sep 1 '11 at 23:51
@cemper93 Agreed, it's not interchangable. Just a related phrase you can use if the conversation partner used a slightly different line. –  hheimbuerger Sep 2 '11 at 11:17
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