Grammaticality of "If to speak about"

Question

I was wondering if it is correct to use the expression if to speak about. For example, suppose we wanted talk about one subject and then change it to another one:

These are very dangerous mountains, and a lot of preparation is needed. If to speak about salary for this kind of work, it is very…

I haven't encountered this phrase in the kind of transitional usage you're asking about. — Dan Bron, Mar 15 '15 at 15:42
Your “if to speak about” should probably be “when speaking of” instead . So basically, all four of your original words are just a tiny bit wrong. :( — tchrist, Mar 15 '15 at 18:32

score 4 · Answer 1 · answered Mar 15 '15 at 16:56

4

This construction is not used in English because the subject of the verb 'to speak about' is implied rather than explicit. In English, we would use the explicit, indefinite pronoun 'one' as the subject and place the verb in the subjunctive form, as in

If one were to speak about salary for this kind of work, it would be very . . .

answered Mar 15 '15 at 16:56

pyrAmider

426

3

I think he may actually be looking for “when speaking of”. – tchrist Mar 15 '15 at 18:32

Grammaticality of "If to speak about"

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