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If my brother calls me and says "Tell mom to pick me up." Do i tell my mom
which of the one below?
I know that wants is present tense and wanted is past tense. So should i use the second one?
- Tom wants you to pick him up
- Tom wanted you to pick him up
Both forms are correct, but imply slightly different things.
1.Tom wants you to pick him up
This states that you know for a fact that Tom, at this very instant, wants you to pick him up. You are asserting that that information you have is accurate and current. Example: "I left Tom at the store and he has no way to get home, so he wants you to pick him up."
2.Tom wanted you to pick him up
This indicates that, at some point in the past, Tom wanted you to pick him up, but leaves some degree of questionability as to the currency of that information. One would use this form in the event that one is unsure what Tom wants at this moment. Example: "I left Tom at the store and he wanted you to pick him up, but since that was two hours ago he may have found another ride home."
The above example makes a positive assertion about Tom's wants in the past, but doesn't indicate if that want still exists in the present. Using wanted implies that maybe you should check with Tom before driving around the store parking lot looking for him.
Both sentences express accurate information, but they do not express the same information. The first sentence is the one to use because Tom's desire to have your mom pick him up still exists in the present, and your mom would be expected to react to the still-existing desire.
The second sentence suggests that Tom's desire to have your mom pick him up did exist, but no longer does. This would suggest a missed opportunity (Tom made other arrangements). This sentence could also mean that you no longer know if Tom's desire to have your mom pick him up still exists, but without additional context I think it would be more natural to interpret the sentence the other way.
You should use "wants":
Tom wants you to pick him up.
If you use "wanted", it will mean "Tom wanted you to pick him up, but now he does not want that". This could be because Tom has changed his mind. Or it could mean that it is no longer possible to pick him up: he could still be wanting you to pick him up, but the speaker realizes that it's impossible and uses the past tense.
Why can't we use "wanted"? Because this verb describes a state, a condition in which Tom was.
You can say:
Tom said that he wants you to pick him up.
Here, the past-tense verb "said" is appropriate.
I disagree with the above interpretations of the sense of this phrase.
Although on a superficial level wants is in the present tense and wanted is in the past tense, there is an important shade of meaning that has nothing to do with the tense.
Consider the following phrase:
I wanted to see if you could help me.
While this certainly could refer to a past desire that I no longer have, it is much more probable that I am using the past polite form. This is common in many modal verbs.
Thus, in the example you gave, a lot depends on context:
Tom wants you to pick him up.
This unambiguously refers to what Tom wants now, but depending on your tone of voice can come off as impolite.
Tom wanted you to pick him up.
This can refer to a past desire, but to my (American) ear sounds much more polite and hesitant, as if he did not have the right to expect you to pick him up.
