Discussion » Questions » Language » Grammar help, please.Which is correct: If I 'was' (something). or If I 'were' (something.)?
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Grammar help, please.Which is correct: If I 'was' (something). or If I 'were' (something.)?

???

Posted - November 26, 2017
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Responses


  • This is a bit complicated, but here's the skinny:

    In hypothetical statements, "if I were" is the correct form of the subjunctive mood, a grammatical mood used in hypotheticals or other non-real (irrealis) statements. An example would be "if I were you, I would talk to her today". It's hypothetical because you are not someone else! These hypotheticals are almost always followed by "I would" in the next clause. 

    The trend in modern English is that this subjunctive form is dying out. Many people would say "If I was you, I would talk to her today" and not bat an eye. To me, this sounds ungrammatical. To others, it sounds fine. 

    But note that English allows the word order to be inverted (and the "if" omitted) and here only "were" is acceptable. "Were I a few years younger, I'd probably be out there right now." (Again this is non-real; you are not a few years younger). No one would say "Was I few years younger..." in this example. Even people who say "If I was you..." would agree that "Was I few years younger..." makes no sense.

    Here's where it gets more complicated:

    "If I was..." is grammatically correct if it is not a hypothetical or non-real event that you are expressing. It is correct if you are using "if" to refer to something in the past. "If I was ever mean to you, I apologize". This is correct because it is referring to a possible event in the past, not a hypothetical event in the future. "If I were ever mean to you..." by contrast implies that it hasn't happened yet, but it might in the future. "If I was ever mean to you..." implies that it has already happened in the past. 

    These types of statements are rarer, however, and most of the time you're probably going to be using "if" in hypothetical statements, and thus "If I were..." is probably going to be correct. 

    This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at November 26, 2017 2:02 PM MST
      November 26, 2017 10:12 AM MST
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  • 7280
    The subjunctive form of the verb is used in this case to indicate a situation that is contrary to fact---If I were you, then.....(but I'm not you).

    Indicative mood is used to indicate a situation that obtains or is probable---If I was ever mean to you, I apologize...(and I can see where you might have interpreted my comments that way).
      November 26, 2017 2:15 PM MST
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  • Yes. A condition with the subjunctive contains a protasis that presents a statement known to be false or unlikely (such as "if I were you", something that is not the case), so the apodosis presents the counterfactual result of this: what would have happened had this been true. These use the so called "conditional mood" in the apodosis (which is marked in English with the modal "would").

    A condition with the indicative, rather than presenting something that isn't true or is unlikely in the protasis, presents something that may be true or is likely. 

    Cf. the different senses of these: 

    "If he had been* in class yesterday, he would have learned it" (but he wasn't in class) vs. "If he was in class yesterday, he learned it." (and he may have been in class). 

    *With this past counterfactual, there's no difference in form between indicative and subjunctive, but "had been" is functioning as a pluperfect subjunctive. This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at November 26, 2017 4:33 PM MST
      November 26, 2017 3:02 PM MST
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  • 44603
    Leave it me to ask a linguist. (gasp). I think I'll go with which one sounds better to me.
      November 26, 2017 10:16 AM MST
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  • 7280
    My first degree is in theoretical physics.  Linguistics---in its own way---gives precise, unambiguous, duplicable truths based on rules---not unlike the scientific method.

    Decimate used to have a precise meaning; gentleman also.  Will and shall also had precise meanings depending on the "person" of the speaker.

    Increase the extension of a term and you decrease its comprehension-->loss of precision in communication, which frequently flows backward and compromises precision of thought.


      November 26, 2017 2:35 PM MST
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  • 44603
    That is very true...but what about 'dark matter'?
      November 26, 2017 3:32 PM MST
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  • One of those rules were one has to be correct and one incorrect but for no good or important reason.
      November 26, 2017 11:26 AM MST
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  • 7280
    Don't jump over the cliff---the question is about subjunctive mood, not agreement of a verb in number with its subject. 
      November 26, 2017 2:10 PM MST
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  • One of those rules where one has to be correct and one incorrect but for no good or important reason. This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at November 26, 2017 2:41 PM MST
      November 26, 2017 2:25 PM MST
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  • 7280
    I caught the attempt at humor the first time you posted that response.

    Diagram that response so I can try to understand what you are saying.
      November 26, 2017 2:37 PM MST
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  • Corrected it.   Sorry just C&P the original typo.
    I'm rather distracted and in a very subjunctive mood.
      November 26, 2017 2:42 PM MST
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  • 7280
    LOL
      November 27, 2017 11:13 AM MST
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  • 2219
    If you know the subjunctive in any language, you've arrived. 
      November 26, 2017 1:39 PM MST
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  • 7280
    I agree.  It was really important in Latin grammar when I was in high school in the early 1960's.
      November 26, 2017 2:38 PM MST
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  • 2219
    I remember it well; my best subject after Maths. 
      November 26, 2017 4:03 PM MST
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  • 7280
    How about a "blast from the past"---

    The Pluperfect Subjunctive

    The Pluperfect Subjunctive, active and passive, is a Secondary Sequence Tense, and is never used in Purpose or Result Clauses. It is
    expressed in English by the helping verb phrases might have or would have.

    The formation rule is simple.

    Pluperfect Active Subjunctive: Use the perfect active stem (third principal
    part minus –i); add the sign –isse-; add the personal endings beginning with
    -m.
    NOTA BENE: By adding –isse to the perfect active stem, the perfect active
    infinitive is formed. Thus, the Pluperfect Active Subjunctive is the perfect
    active infinitive + personal endings.
    vocavissem (I might have called, I would have called)
    vocavisses (you might have called, you would have called)
    vocavisset (he might have called, he would have called)
    vocavissemus (we might have called, we would have called)
    vocavissetis (you might have called, you would have called)
    vocavissent (they might have called, they would have called)

    And no, this was not from memory   (lol)
      November 27, 2017 11:21 AM MST
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  • 44603
    What??? Would you like an organic chemistry lesson?
      November 27, 2017 12:48 PM MST
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  • 7280
    I went to a Jesuit high school.  Amusingly, my religion teacher had a degree in chemistry.  Taught us a whole bunch of stuff about Ox-reduction equations during one lunch period.

    We actually had a six week period in Jr year dedicated to determining 5 elements in a solution.   Most of us got 2 out of the five.  (All solutions were different.)  During the 6th week, after "grading" all of us the teacher said that the purpose of that 6 week period was solely to introduce us to some of the things that were involved in organic chemistry and that no grades were going to be given for that 6 week period.

    Well, my introduction to organic chemistry was also my goodbye.  I did ace the required inorganic chemistry in college.

    But I appreciate the offer.
      November 27, 2017 12:56 PM MST
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  • 44603
    Nice.
      November 27, 2017 12:59 PM MST
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  • 44603
    You're pretty sharp if you know what subjunctive even means.
      November 26, 2017 4:07 PM MST
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  • 13071
    If I were. Were is less specific than was. 
    Example:
     If I were to go to the party, Id have more fun.
     I was at the party, and had a lot of fun. This post was edited by carbonproduct at November 26, 2017 3:33 PM MST
      November 26, 2017 2:02 PM MST
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  • 7280
    Specificity has nothing to do with the proper use of the subjunctive mood in the "If" clause of a conditional statement---and it is that which is the the subject of the posted question.
      November 26, 2017 2:28 PM MST
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  • 46117
    WAS
    it is the singular

    were is the plural

      November 26, 2017 2:17 PM MST
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  • 7280
    It's not about agreement in number; it's about when to use the subjunctive mood.
      November 26, 2017 2:39 PM MST
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