Wanting

Hi Sextus,

Although I know nothing whatsoever about grammatical terminology, the sentence seems wrong to me. It should be "I also want to study more Spanish at the university once I get there".

And which one's the gerund here? I thought a gerund was a noun used as a verb... I don't see anything like that here. The only mistake I find is in the tense of the sentence.

Sin

I meant to use the present continuous with the verb "to want". I thought we can't use the -ing form of this verb.

Sextus
I've just read the following sentence, which has been written by a native speaker:

"I also am wanting to study more Spanish at the university when I get there."

Personally, I'd have never used the gerund.

Best,

Sextus

She wants to be a journalist. It is her dream.

Hello Sextus

It seems to me that people use the present continuous of "want" when they want to avoid too forceful a sense of "wanting". In the simple present, the sentence sounds almost like a demand:

1. I also want to study more Spanish at the university when I get there.

But the present continuous seems unthreateningly vague and inoffensive.

Other members may

Aha, I get what you mean P.

Anyway, I think it's the first time I read or hear someone saying "wanting". It just sounds strange to me.

Cheers,

Sextus

Sentences such as "I've/d been wanting to do that for a while" don't sound strange to me. Context? uh... "When I first met Tina, she told me she was part of a patchwork club. She took me there one night, and since I'd been wanting to do that for a while, I joined in."

Yes, you're right about that one, Pianne. It doesn't sound strange. But "I am wanting" still sounds strange to me. The reason must be that I'm not a native speaker.

Cheers,

Sextus

I'm not a native either, Sextus, and my ears are getting used to that, especially in lyrics... [8] I completely understand MrP's interpretation. I might even use it some time... Just might!

Interesting, Pieanne. It is my understanding that a stative verb-- like "want"--can't be used in progressive form. Do you mean stative verbs can be used in progressive form depending upon the context?

It looks like it - although that's not what I'd been taught either. But the more you read, the more you listen, the more examples you'll hear. "I've been remembering, I've been wanting, forgetting, aso." "I'm forgetting, I'm remembering, etc...". I don't remember any "I'm knowing", though.

But the meaning is slightly different. "I'm wanting": see MrP's interpretation. "I'm forgetting" = "