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MailLo Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

What is the difference ?

hi,
what's the difference between these sentences :

1- I wish he was here.

2- I wish he were here.

3- I wish he had been here.

Thanks a lot Emotion: smile
  

Top answer

#1 and #2 mean the same thing: you wish the person was present now . #2 is the formally correct version; #1 is common in everyday English and is widely accepted. #3 means that you wish the person had been present at some time in the past .

— Mr Wordy

  • #1 and #2 mean the same thing: you wish the person was present now .
  • #2 is the formally correct version; #1 is common in everyday English and is widely accepted.
  • #3 means that you wish the person had been present at some time in the past .
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2 Answers
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#1 and #2 mean the same thing: you wish the person was present now. #2 is the formally correct version; #1 is common in everyday English and is widely accepted.

#3 means that you wish the person had been present at some time in the past.
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MailLo1- I wish he was here.

2- I wish he were here.

3- I wish he had been here.
1. My wish is this: He is here now.
2. My wish is this: He is here now. (Same meaning as 1.)
3. My wish is this: He was here at that time in the past.

The grammatical form in 2 is considered more formal than the form in 1
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