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I Wish You Could Have Been Here

 

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  #1  
Old March 17, 2024, 10:40 AM
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Bobbert Bobbert is offline
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I Wish You Could Have Been Here

I'm writing a response to an e-mail, but I'm unsure how to say:
The reunion was a success. I wish you could have been here.

The following are possibilities that come to my mind, but I'm unsure which, if any, are correct and/or are usually said:

La reunión fue un éxito. Ojalá pudieras haber estado aquí.

La reunión fue un éxito. Ojalá hubieras podido estar aquí.

La reunión fue un éxito. Me hubiera gustado que podrias haber estado aquí.

La reunión fue un éxito. Me hubiera gustado que pudieras haber estado aquí.

Are any of the above correct? Are any of the above completely wrong?
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  #2  
Old March 17, 2024, 10:31 PM
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AngelicaDeAlquezar AngelicaDeAlquezar is offline
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Ojalá pudieras haber estado aquí. -> In context, this would have been understood, but combining "ojalá" and "pudieras" is better when you're expressing a wish for something to happen in the future:
- Ojalá pudieras venir. Te lo agradecería mucho.

Ojalá hubieras podido estar aquí. -> This one is great.

Me hubiera gustado que podrias haber estado aquí. -> "Me hubiera gustado que" demands a subjunctive verb, but "podrías" is an indicative.
You can use this construction for a reproach: "Podrías haber estado aquí, pero preferiste hacer otras cosas".

Me hubiera gustado que pudieras haber estado aquí. -> This one is good, but long. I guess, grammatically, your proposal is better, but sometimes we prefer less repetitive constructions, so my ears would prefer: "Me hubiera gustado que pudieras estar aquí".

Other alternatives:
- Me habría gustado que hubieras estado aquí. ("Habría" in this context, is used interchangeably with "hubiera", to avoid repetition.)
- Me hubiera gustado que estuvieras aquí.
- Me habría gustado que hubieras podido estar aquí. (Long, but it would have worked.)
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  #3  
Old March 18, 2024, 01:11 PM
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Bobbert Bobbert is offline
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Thank you, AngelicaDeAlquezar. The explanations and examples are very helpful.
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