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I want you to be here now/immediately

hirashin

Sempai
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8 Apr 2004
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Dear native english speakers,
would all the sentences be used? If so, do they all have the same meaning?
(a) I want you to come here now.
(b) I want you to come here immediately.
(c) I want you to be here now.
(d) I want you to be here immediately.

Thanks in advance.
Hirashin
 
No, C and D wouldn't be, at least not in the way you're thinking. They come across like wishful thinking, not like an actual request. I imagine someone longing to see their spouse after a long separation because they're in the military or something like that. In such a case, you would almost never specify "now".

The reason you can use it that way when specifying a time is because you're telling them about what arrival time you expect. You can't expect them to be there right now, because teleportation isn't something we can do.
 
Thanks, Julimaruchan.
But sorry. I don't get it.
I have several questions.

Would (e) be similar to (c)?
(e) I wish you were here.

Wouldn't (f) be used?
(f) I wish you were here now.

Is it that (d) would never be used?
 
Would (e) be similar to (c)?
(e) I wish you were here.
Yes.

Wouldn't (f) be used?
(f) I wish you were here now.
Yes, and you would use C too. It's just more common in that context to say "I want you to be here" by itself.

Is it that (d) would never be used?
Yes. "Immediately" doesn't fit, because it is only used for actions, not states of being.
 
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