{"id":10341,"date":"2022-11-16T22:55:35","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T22:55:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=10341"},"modified":"2022-11-16T22:55:35","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T22:55:35","slug":"i-wish-you-were-here-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/i-wish-you-were-here-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"I Wish You Were Here \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you seen or heard the phrase 'I wish you were here' <\/strong>somewhere, and would like to know more? 'I wish you were here'<\/strong> is a common sentence which might either be a song lyric reference, or an expression that has been part of language for almost 100 years. This post unpacks the meaning, origin, and saying of this expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The phrase 'I wish you were here' <\/strong>is a common saying in the English language, but it isn't a traditional metaphor.<\/p>\n

Instead, the phrase 'I wish you were here' <\/strong>or just 'wish you were here' <\/strong>is used as a statement to express that one person is missing another and desires their company or presence.<\/u><\/p>\n

The phrase is so common that it has become a pop culture reference which many people know and repeat.<\/p>\n

The phrase 'wish you were here' <\/strong>is most common when said to someone as a phrase that implies longing and endearment.<\/u><\/p>\n

The saying can also be used to say that 'I wish you were there' <\/strong>or 'I wish you were here', <\/strong>though it depends what the speaker is referring to.<\/p>\n

Sometimes the phrase 'wish you were here' <\/strong>is said as a deliberate reference to the famous Pink Floyd song, written as a tribute to Syd Barrett.<\/u><\/p>\n

The phrase is not used as a question<\/u>, though can if the phrase is used as 'do you wish I was there?' <\/strong>and adapted for use instead.<\/p>\n

When it is said as the negative, <\/u>the phrase's meaning changes and it could become a potential insult that expresses the desire to be away from someone.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\u201cI have nobody to play Exploding Kittens with, and I totally wish you were here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you wearing, my darling little ocean fish sweetheart? I wish you were here right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish you were here right now so that we can experience the total horror of the pineapple on this pizza right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I had three wishes right now, then I'd probably wish for cocaine and hookers, and I wish you were here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Origin<\/h2>\n

According to most online language resources, the phrase 'wish you were here' was first introduced as a common saying on postcards printed by the United States government somewhere in the late 19th century.<\/p>\n

After use of the phrase as a popular postcard, the saying made its way around and remained a common thing to say as a term of endearment throughout the 1900s.<\/p>\n

The song was used by UK band Pink Floyd as a title and lyric in their 1975 song Wish You Were Here. Use of the phrase as a popular culture refernce became much more common as a result of their use, though modern use does not always mean the song.<\/p>\n

'Wish you were here' is listed on the website Urban Dictionary from November 2010.<\/p>\n

Phrases Similar to Wish You Were Here<\/h2>\n
    \n
  • N\/a<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Phrases Opposite to Wish You Were Here<\/h2>\n
      \n
    • Fuck off<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n
        \n
      • Wish you were here<\/li>\n
      • I wish you were here<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Ways People May Say Wish You Were Here Incorrectly<\/h2>\n

        There are several ways in which someone can use the phrase 'wish you were here' in the wrong way, or misunderstand the meaning of the phrase.<\/p>\n

        The phrase is not common as a negative phrase, as it would be an insult for the person who it is being said to.<\/p>\n

        When misspelled or written quickly, the phrase can become 'wish you were her' which does not mean the same thing.<\/p>\n

        Acceptable Ways to Phrase Wish You Were Here<\/h2>\n

        There are several ways to use the phrase 'wish you were here' in conversation the right way.<\/p>\n

        Sometimes the phrase can be a way to say that one person misses another and desires their company, though other times the phrase can be a reference to the 1970s Pink Floyd release with the same name as the saying.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Have you seen or heard the phrase 'I wish you were here' somewhere, and would like to know more? 'I wish you were here' is a common sentence which might either be a song lyric reference, or an expression that has been part of language for almost 100 years. This post unpacks the meaning, origin, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10341"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10341"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10341\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10343,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10341\/revisions\/10343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}