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Which one of the two forms of verb will make the following sentence idiomatic?
I wish I knew what _____ wrong with my car.
Is
Was
I think it should be is because the sentence is in subjunctive mood, but refers to a present situation, hence use of is is justified.
But in my book correct answer is was
The wish is irrelevant.
The knew, whether you call it subjunctive or past, is treated as past.
Normally, therefore, the verb in the embedded question "What is wrong with my car" would get backshifted to "what was wrong with my car", as others have said.
But English speakers don't always backshift, when the situation is still current.
So you will hear both was and is here. I think was is more natural, but is occurs too.
2. Was seems more correct to me. Since "knew" is past-tense, the same tense should be used. It's understood that the car still isn't working because you're making the wish now.
"Was" is correct because the sentence the verb "to be" refers here to an alternative reality where the speaker possesses the knowledge of what is wrong with the car (i.e., irrealis mood).
This bit from Wikipedia is relevant to the topic at hand:
"For most verbs, the only distinct subjunctive form is found in the third person singular of the present tense, where the subjunctive lacks the -s ending: It is necessary that he see a doctor (contrasted with the indicative he sees). The verb be, however, has not only a distinct present subjunctive (be, as in I suggest that he be removed) but also a past subjunctive were (as in If he were rich, …).
These two tenses of the subjunctive have no particular connection in meaning with present and past time. Terminology varies; sometimes what is called the present subjunctive here is referred to simply as the subjunctive, and the form were may be treated just as an alternative irrealis form of was rather than a past subjunctive. "English subjunctive - Wikipedia
As further evidence that the tense doesn't necessarily refer to time period in this case, I can imagine a scenario where a speaker would say "I wish I knew what was wrong ..." in reference to a future event (e.g., discussing an upcoming competition like a hackathon or something).
The verb of your sentence is not "knew" but "wish", and yes, it is in the subjunctive mood. Since your sentence is referring to the immediate situation, you are correct and the book is wrong. People often slur their pronunciations in situations like this, by using a contraction.
I wish I knew what's wrong with the car.
This is indeed a case of the weirdness of English subjunctive. Your book is correct that "was" is the correct choice, regardless of whether the problem is in the present, because "was/were" is also the subjunctive form of the verb "to be". The "was" (as well as the "knew") does not refer to past in this case, but the alternate reality where the knowledge is possessed.
As Benjamin notes, native speakers likely would shorten to
I wish I knew what's wrong with my car.
The ambiguity here is that "what's" could be a contraction of either "what is" or "what was" and only context tells you which it is.
PART ONE
The verb wish as in I wish [etc.] can never be followed by a present tense.
Usage examples:
I wish I knew his sister. [simple past]
I wish I had known his sister [past perfect] when the accident occurred.
I wish I was/were rich. The verb be can be was or were for third person singular.
I wish I was/were going with you.
I wish I knew what is wrong with you.
Here is a simple rule: Never use a present tense after wish when it is expressing a wish. If you follow that rule, you will never make a mistake.
The tenses to use are: simple past, past continuous for expressing a wish in the present time
past perfect or past perfect continuous for expressing a wish about the past or with I wished [we had gone.
There are also some modals that can be but let's leave that for another day.
For example:I wish he could have been on time.
The verb wish is an oddity. It is the way it is.
PART TWO
I wish I knew [today] what is wrong [now or today] with my car.
**I wish I knew [today] what was wrong [at some past time] with my car.
Conclusion: They are both correct and each means something different.
Here are many more examples.
Your sentence should read:
I wish I knew what was wrong with my car.
"I wish I knew" goes together.
"Knew" is past tense. Because "knew" is past tense, you also have to use the past tense "was" in "what was wrong with my car."
To change it to present tense, you can say:
I would like to know what is wrong with my car.
I'm not quite sure why the English language works this way but it does.
Many consider it necessary to use was in such a grammar construction. Although, the same people allow the use of is in such a case, when the car remains to function improperly at the time of expressing this regret about it. So, the choice depends on the style of the accepted usage in a professional circle, where you use this grammatical construction.
Wish defines the grammar of know as the past tense clause for conveying the idea of the present. Knew defines the grammar of is/was as a subordinate clause which may have a backshifted tense according to the rules of style being similar to those of the indirect speech clauses. That is why the choice between is/was sometimes is made for the former in some contexts, for example, in engineering and machinery. This is a gist of the OP in the case.
