I wonder why it is correct to say:
I would like to have come but I was not informed.
Wouldn't it be better to say: I would have liked to come?
(I found many examples on Google).
Is there a difference between the two?
Thanks.
Learn English – “I would like to have come” vs “I would have liked to come”
conditional-perfectmodal-verbspast-tenseperfect-aspect
Best Answer
There is a difference in principle. I would like to have come describes the speaker’s feelings at the time of speaking, whereas I would have liked to come describes the speaker’s feelings at a certain time in the past. In practice, however, many speakers will use one or the other without making any such distinction.