I wonder if . . . vs. I am wondering if . . . - present simple or present continuous?

[shootingstar]

I wonder if the underlined clause having had the proposition repeated to him corresponds to the clause after he has had the proposition repeated to him or if it corresponds to after he had had the proposition repeated to him.

This is a sentence from the thread https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/having-had-the-proposition-repeated-to-him.298510/
My question now: Would you prefer the present simple or the present continuous with wonder in this sentence - I wonder if . . . or I am wondering if . . . ? And please tell me why you would use it.
Thank you very much.

 

[emsr2d2]

I'd use "I'm wondering" in that context. At the time of writing, you were wondering what the phrase meant. Bear in mind, though, that in everyday spoken English, when someone is wondering about something, native speakers tend to use the present simple.

Helen: What are we doing for your birthday this year?
John: I'm not sure. I wonder if I should send an email to all my friends and see what they fancy doing.

In your original context, it means something like "I'm not sure ...". In my dialogue above, it's more like "Hmmm. Would it be a good idea to ...".

 

[Caviglia]

I wonder if the underlined clause having had the proposition repeated to him corresponds to the clause after he has had the proposition repeated to him or if it corresponds to after he had had the proposition repeated to him.

This is a sentence from the thread https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/having-had-the-proposition-repeated-to-him.298510/
My question now: Would you prefer the present simple or the present continuous with wonder in this sentence - I wonder if . . . or I am wondering if . . . ? And please tell me why you would use it.
Thank you very much.

Just ask yourself which has the fewer number of words and you have the answer. Plain English generally means using simple, shorter words and fewer of them.

 

[emsr2d2]

I wonder if the underlined clause having had the proposition repeated to him corresponds to the clause after he has had the proposition repeated to him or if it corresponds to after he had had the proposition repeated to him.

Another suggestion is to ask a question instead of using "I'm wondering if ...". Your opening sentence could have simple said:

Does the underlined clause having had the proposition repeated to him correspond to the clause after he has had the proposition repeated to him or to after he had had the proposition repeated to him?

Not only does that save words but it asks us a direct question, making it clear you're looking for an answer. Opening with "I wonder/I'm wondering if ..." could result in our responding "Do you/Are you? That's interesting!"