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Iasadih Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

I hope "it reaches" vs "it will reach"

I mean future reference - not that it often reaches, but that as I write the message, I express a hope that the message will reach.

The use of Future makes the meaning clear, but is it correct? Something tells me that in such cases you can use present tense while maintaining future reference, similarly to 1st conditional.
  

Top answer

For me, the present tense is most natural there. However, the future tense is not actually wrong, at least not in the examples that come to mind. It's possible that there may be subtle differences in people's preferences depending on the full context.

— GPY

  • For me, the present tense is most natural there.
  • However, the future tense is not actually wrong, at least not in the examples that come to mind.
  • It's possible that there may be subtle differences in people's preferences depending on the full context.
  • If in doubt, use the present tense.
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3 Answers
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For me, the present tense is most natural there. However, the future tense is not actually wrong, at least not in the examples that come to mind. It's possible that there may be subtle differences in people's preferences depending on the full context. If in doubt, use the present tense.
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Oh, by the way, you probably already know this, but "I hope it reaches" by itself is not correct for this sense of "reach". For this sense of "reach" you do need an object (e.g. "I hope it reaches you"). "I hope it reaches" could be talking about whether a piece of rope is long enough for some purpose, for example.
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I suggest that you stick to the present tense as long as there is no ambiguity. And yes, you need an object with 'reach' (agreeing with GPY).
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