he not be taking

[sertoksoz]

[FONT=&quot]“I would rather he not be taking something that has not been approved by the scientists, especially in his age group, and in his, shall we say, weight group: ‘Morbidly obese,’ they say,”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]What about <<he not be taking>> phrase above? Simple present, present continuous or future tense?[/FONT]

 

[Rover_KE]

Welcome to the forum, sertoksoz.

Always tell us the source and author of any text you quote, please.

 

[jutfrank]

It's none of those. would rather should be followed by a subjunctive. In this case, I believe that what the speaker should have said is he were not taking. The idea seems to be that he is taking something, and that the speaker wishes that were not the case.

However, we need to see more context to be sure what the speaker meant. Please make sure you give us any relevant context and remember to say where you heard/saw every sentence you ask about.