[A note to the visiting reader: There's nothing idiosyncratic or unusual about making a distinction between "If I were" and "If I was." Countless speakers and writers make this distinction, and explanations of it can be found in numerous writing handbooks (the kind of book usually used in a college writing class). I've tried to make an explanation of the distinction that's engaging and memorable. Happy reading and writing.]
A reader asked in an e-mail if I could explain when to use "if I were" and "if I was." Here are some examples to make the difference clear:
"If I were" (the past subjunctive) is appropriate in stating conditions that are contrary to fact:
If I were a bell, I'd go ding dong ding dong ding. (Frank Loesser)Each of the above sentences states a condition that is not the case: I'm not a bell, not a carpenter, not a rich man.
If I were a carpenter and you were a lady, would you marry me anyway? (Tim Hardin)
If I were a rich man, [yadda, yadda, yadda]. (Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock)
"If I was" (the past indicative) is appropriate in stating conditions that are not contrary to fact. Here you might say that the truth or falsity of the condition is not certain:
Was I rude? I'm not sure that I really was. But if I was rude, I'm sorry.The was/were distinction can be tricky to get right. In that last sample sentence, was somehow sounds wrong to me, and if I were doing something other than writing this post, I'd probably choose were or recast the sentence:
If I was to train as a carpenter, I would get to wear safety goggles.
If I train as a carpenter, I will get to wear safety goggles.Why, incidentally, did I write "if I were doing something other than writing this post"? Because the condition stated is contrary to fact: I am writing this post.
The most awful blurring of was/were probably occurs when people say "If I was you." "I," whoever I am, never was "you." Here's another song lyric, which I know from a Fats Waller recording, to help keep the was/were distinction clear:
If I were you, here's what I'd do:Update, July 17, 2011:
I'd stick to me my whole life through,
If I were you. (Buddy Bernier and Robert D. Emmerich)
One sample sentence in this post has continued to bug me: “If I was to train as a carpenter, I would get to wear safety goggles.” Should the verb be was or were? Theodore M. Bernstein’s The Careful Writer: A Modern Guide to English Usage (1965) supports the indicative was in such sentences:
Difficulties do arise, however, from making the unwarranted assumption that if always introduces a condition that is contrary to fact and thus should always be followed by a subjunctive. If may introduce clauses of supposition or concession, as well as conditions that are not true or are hypothetical, and in such clauses the verb is usually in the indicative, not the subjunctive, mood.A sample sentence from The Careful Writer: “The Egyptian declared that if there was more trouble the U.A.R. would ‘exterminate Israel.’”
More recently, the American Heritage Book of English Usage (1996) also supports was:
Remember, just because the modal verb would appears in the main clause, this doesn’t mean that the verb in the if-clause must be in the subjunctive if the content of that clause is not presupposed to be false: If I was (not were) to accept their offer — which I’m still considering — I would have to start the new job on May 2.The American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style (2005) makes the same point, with a different sample sentence. Both AH volumes point out that many people dispense with any distinction between if I was and if I were. If I were you though, I wouldn’t go along with them.
Still more recently, Bryan Garner’s Garner’s Modern American Usage (2009) recommends the use of the subjunctive in contexts that involve supposition. Garner’s sample sentence: “if I were to go, I wouldn’t be able to finish this project.” It seems to me that the use of the subjunctive here might erase the useful distinction between supposition and what’s contrary to fact: if I were to go seems to suggest that the speaker has already decided not to do so. (Think of a politician refusing to step down: If I were to resign, I’d be betraying, &c.) Another sentence or two might be needed to clarify things: If I were to go, I wouldn’t be able to finish this project. But I can always get Fred to do that for me. So I’ll go.
When it comes to supposition and the subjunctive, there is no single answer. If one is considering whether to train as a carpenter, the wise choice, as I have suggested above, might be a sentence that avoids any appearance of error by keeping clear of was and were:
If I train as a carpenter, I will get to wear safety goggles.Reader, the choice is yours.
comments: 79
Thanks for addressing my question so quickly and clearly.
You're welcome. I'm happy to do so.
Thanks for such a clear explanation.
I'm just a poor immigrant, but I would say "If I were to train as as a carpenter...", because I'm not training.
I also don't quite understand why one would say "If I was to train as a carpenter"
"If I was to train as a carpenter, I would get to wear safety goggles": there's nothing contrary to fact in this sentence, so "was" is correct. But as I said in my post, it sounds odd. The important bit is "to train," something that may or may not happen in the future, so it's not contrary to fact.
In contrast, "If I were training as a carpenter, I would get to wear safety googles" is a sentence that involves a condition contrary to fact (I'm not training as a carpenter). I hope this additional sentence helps make the difference clear.
If I weren't a native english speaker, I would've asked about the usage of was/were with being reliant on whether the subject was singular/plural. (analyze that).
However, I am not. My question involves the phrase, "I wish I ..." "I wish I was the president." "I wish I were the president." I'm not sure which is correct, and both sound correct to me. Can you clarify this?
With wishes, I’d follow Garner in choosing were. His example: “I wish that I were able to play piano.”
thanks ...
You’re welcome.
Michael,
Thank you for an excellent post, solved the puzzle for me.
Fragvis
You’re welcome, Fragvis.
Ok, this is still confusing me...please help. Looking over an essay my son wrote for school and it reads, "If I was unable to pledge allegiance to our flag, I would feel worthless." Should it be was or were?
Since your son can pledge allegiance, I would say were — contrary to fact.
Hey, thanks for this post.
I wasn't quite sure about writing "as though it was" vs. "as though it were", but have now decided on the latter.
You’re welcome. Yes, “as though it were,” contrary to fact.
I wonder if it feels wrong to use 'was' in the carpenter example simply because it negates the grammar lesson intended when the word 'were' is used. The sentence, "If I were to train as a carpenter, I would get to wear safety goggles" seems to exemplify the difference between 'were' and 'wear'. I have nothing to reference here, but it reminds me of sentences I've heard in grammar lessons before. I may be pulling this from thin air, but I thought I'd note it anyways.
The difference between were and wear? I’m afraid I don’t follow.
I often wondered: If the ball were in my court rather than his to make the first move, where would I be?
is that sentence correct?
I think you would be on the court. But if the ball is in your court, someone else has already made a move, no? That’s one odd sentence.
Thanks for this helpful post. It really cleared things up for me ... and don't forget the great example by Beyonce: "If I were a boy ..."
Lauren, thank you for adding the Beyoncé example, memorable and closer to the present tense than my musical examples. :)
Michael, I LOVED your musical examples, especially Tim Hardin's song "If I Were A Carpenter." I have several of his songs in my collection ("Black Sheep Boy" and "Lady Came From Baltimore"), but I've rarely seen anyone refer to him by name. He died in the early 1980s, but his songs live on. ANYWAY, I also appreciated your explanation of "If I were" and "If I was," a subject I was researching today because I'm grading a bunch of graduate student papers, and the writers often make the wrong choice. I will now send them to this web site.
Thanks, Steve. Best wishes for your grading.
This was very helpful and Orange Crate Art is indeed a fantastic song. I live in SF and it gets absolutely embedded in my head every time I go up to Sonoma!
Thanks Michael!
You’re welcome, Anon.
There was about 6 hours of reconnaissance.
There were about 6 hours of reconnaissance.
Are both correct?
Thanks,
Mike
Garner’s Modern American Usage: “In AmE [American English], a plural noun denoting a small unit by which a larger amount is measured generally takes a singular verb.” One of his examples: “Five hours are [read is] enough time.” As they say on the Internet, hope this helps.
VERY helpful! Thank you for sharing all this information and the helpful examples.
You’re welcome, Jonathon.
Which one is right?
If what she said was true
If what she said were true
It depends on what you mean.
“If what she said was true”: what she said may be true.
“If what she said were true”: what she said is not true.
i want to ask you, which one is the correct form, "i was here" or i were here"? and may i know why. as if the word "you", it'll be "you were" never "you was", right?
“I was here” is correct. The verb to be is irregular:
I was
you (singular) were
he, she, or it was
we were
you (plural) were
they were
It’s always “you were,” whether the you is singular or plural. As they say on the Internet, hope this helps. :)
If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.
Thank you! ^_^
That’s a helpful example, Anon.
And Anon., you’re welcome.
Thank you for this and other posts, your tips will be really useful in my English exams. Greetings
You’re welcome, Agatha. Best wishes for your exams.
One of the HUGE problems with understanding proper English, and with grammar and writing, is that the names of various parts of speech are non-intuitive and intimidating. The "past participle"? WTF is that? "Pluperfect"? Whatever. The best types of names for things are those that tell what the things do or are. Toaster. Perfect name. Ice cream machine. Bingo. I know - proper nouns: you just have to know them. Still, there is a whole new world of English teaching to be opened up if you could invent an intuitive, non-specialist lexicon.
Thanks Micheal!
OMG! Thank you!!!! :D
I'm having trouble with a sentence for an application (should be correct, but flow and phrasing are important).
"They spoke about me as if I wasn't in the room."
Is wasn't correct there or should it be weren't?
Counterfactual, so the subjunctive were is appropriate. It might sound better though if you remove the contraction. As they say on the Internet, “Hope this helps.”
Also, a belated “You’re welcome” to earlier commenters.
Hi there.
Ok. Here's something for you.
Was we rude? If we was rude, we're sorry.
If you was to train as a carpenter, You would get to wear safety goggles.
If you was to accept their offer —
If we was to accept their offer -
Why does either a 'plural' or a 'second person' seem to throw a wrench into your whole explanation?
I’ve explained a distinction between if I was and if I were, that’s all. The pronouns we and you never take was. Why? As Run-DMC once said, “It’s like that, and that’s the way it is.”
Justin Bieber sings a song called if I was your boyfriend (I'd never let you go) Does he need a grammar lesson? Clearly he is not my boyfriend...so it should be were...correct?
Yes, just as with the Beyoncé title Lauren mentions above.
Thank you. This really helped.
You’re welcome, Samir.
Back in high school, our teacher taught us that for conditional sentences, we should always use "were" regardless the form of the subject (singular or plural). So it became "If I were...", "If she were...", etc. There never was a clear explanation as to why that was so, nor was there an explanation of exceptions to the rule that may exist. So thank you very much for your article. It helps to know these things. :)
You’re welcome, Haste. Thanks for writing.
Thank you for this great information, Michael. It was very useful.
~Kimberlee
You’re welcome, Kimberlee.
I have to say that if I were born in the United States I wouldn't have grasped the concept of using were vs. was. My mother tongue is Arabic. Our 5th-grade teacher in Lebanon made damned sure we understood this were/was business pretty well. When I went to college in America I used the past subjunctive properly in my everyday conversation. People thought I was pompous.
Do you think "were" eventually will be replaced with "was," since most native English speakers in America use the latter incorrectly? Do you think it's a "Lost Cause," much like "I" vs. "me," "who" vs. "whom," etc.?
That’s a good question. For many speakers and writers, there is already no distinction between was and were. But there are many other speakers and writers who want to make the distinction and get it right. Some evidence of that: this post gets at least fifty visits a day. I think that the distinction will hold for a long time, at least in formal writing.
It’s common in the United States for grammar, punctuation, and usage to get little attention in writing classes. Growing online attention to these matters (for instance, recent New York Times and New Yorker columns on the semicolon) suggests to me that the Internet is making up for what’s often missing from classrooms.
Thanks, Samir, for your observations and question.
Hello Michael!
But how about the negative form? Is it correct to say:
If I weren't a singer, I'd be a painter.
Thanks,
Natalia
Hello Natalia. That’s an interesting example. If you are a singer, “If I were not a singer” involves a statement contrary to fact. So were seems right to me. Think of what Captain Renault says in Casablanca: “If I were a woman, and I were not around, I should be in love with Rick.” “If I were a woman” = “If I were not a man.”
Not relevant, but credit should be given...
Thank you for the memorable clarification, although I will likely be back (poor memory & overall grammar on my part).
I don't know what's more impressive:
Your ability to make this discussion interesting... or your ability to pull grammatical examples from such a wide range of mediums. Thank you!
Kind words are always relevant. :) Thanks, Anon.
Could you clear up one sentence for me?
It were Einestein himself that said that...
It was Einestein himself that said that...
Am I right in saying that it should be 'was' because Einestein did say it and therefore it is not contrary to fact?
Thanks, Shaw
It should be was. The sentence is just a matter of the simple past, no if involved. Using were here is not an option.
P.S.: If you’re writing about the physicist, it’s Einstein.
all these comments and questions are in relation to the subject "i". my question however is in relation to "he" as the subject. Do we say
1) If he was a doctor,... Or
2) If he were a doctor,....
Thanks!! :)
J
The same reasoning applies:
If he was a good doctor, he has long since lost his skills. [Maybe he was a good doctor; maybe he wasn’t.]
If he were a good doctor, he would be able to help. [He’s not a good doctor.]
So assuming he was never a doctor to begin with, it's 'if he were a doctor' right? Okay so Understanding that, is it safe to say that all hypothetical statements use the past plural form of the word.... as in all hypothetical sentences always use "were" not "was" or "are" or "is"? Thanks!! :)
And thanks your explanations are super helpfull! ! :)
It’s not really the past plural though; it’s the past subjunctive. Many speakers and writers use it in stating conditions contrary to fact. (I think that’s what you mean by hypothetical, but I don’t think that word covers conditions contrary to fact.)
Not everyone uses the past subjunctive, and some see its use as finicky and outdated. I think the past subjunctive marks a useful distinction, so I think it’s smart to use it. I’m glad you found this post helpful, Jayshree.
I am writing something at the moment, and one of the sentences I had (which MS Word didn't like) was this :
'Little did I know how many nights lay ahead of me that were to be a lot more difficult than this one.'
This came very naturally and I wrote the sentence almost without thinking, then MS-Word underlined 'were'.
I know what you mean about the carpenter sentence, it sounds similar to how some of my friends from Essex speak ;+}
I’d say your sentence is fine. Word’s grammar checker is highly unreliable: here's some great proof.
Oh, wow, this difference in the two phrases has been a pea under the mattress of my brain for years— decades. Thank you for explaining it so clearly. I feel like I grok the matter and can go forward more comfortably.
Thanks!
You’re welcome, John. Thanks for writing.
I would appreciate it if you could clarify this for me: "If I was/were interested..."
Thanks!
Consider the context. “If I were interested” means that I’m not interested. “If I was interested” would apply to past situations: “If I was interested, I would follow up,” &c.
Mr. Leddy - I read your posts and the replies with great interest. I must say that I'm in agreement with the Arab teacher who said that "if" is always followed by the copula verb "were". My mother was a grammar teacher (and other languages) in the late 1920s, and she was a grammar Nazi at home. Even with you carpenter example (safety goggles), the if necessarily imp;ies that one is not, regardless of intent. The person is not training as a carpenter, so there is a contrary factor, the future notwithstanding. Your thoughts?
yes; I see the point in "he wanted to know if I was interested" The "if" here refers back to "he" and not to the state that "I" was in. But I would say, turning it around: "If I were interested, I would have made it known to him". In that case again, there is a subtle implication to the contrary, or else I would have told him
I think that Samir likely meant that his teacher taught him to distinguish between was and were, not that were always follows if. At any rate, were doesn’t always follow, as in the example “Was I rude? I'm not sure that I really was. But if I was rude, I'm sorry.”
The safety goggles example involves the future, something hypothetical, not contrary to fact. The examples from The Careful Writer and the American Heritage Book of English Usage work in the same way. Garner prefers were with such sentences, which seems to me to remove a useful distinction. I think you are with Garner here, not a bad place to be. As the works I’ve cited show, there’s room for disagreement here.
But with “If I was rude,” where the past is in question, was is what works. “If I was rude” leaves it an open question — maybe I was, maybe I wasn’t. With at least some sentences, it has to be was.
Jack, I wrote the above comment before seeing your second one. Yes, “if I was interested” leaves it an open question. “If I were interested” implies that there’s no interest.
I would always use were if something were not currently the case. I don't agree that saying, "If I were to resign" implies that you will not. You may be just discussing your options.
As the sources I cited suggest, ther’s no consensus on this question. “If I resign” could be a way to dodge the problem.
Post a Comment