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Which is right? "If I was from France, would I get a visa from Ghanaian embassy?" vs. "were from France" "If I was taller, I would buy that dress." vs. "if I were" "If I was 20, I would travel the world." vs. "if I were" "If I was the Queen of England, I would give everyone a chicken." vs. "if I were" "If I was a flower, I would bloom." vs. "if I were" "If the weather wasn't so bad, we could go outside." vs. "weren't" Please state which is correct and please describe why in detail. Try to give a definitive rule/answer.

Peter Shor
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MeMeXxx
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1 Answers1

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Depending on what is being expressed in the context, if I were or If I was can both be correct. There is not a hard and fast rule that one is always right or one is always wrong.

The following, from the ecenglish site, expresses the difference well. The following describes when to use "If I were..."

If I were rich...<-- I am not rich, but I imagining what I would do if I were.

"I were" is called the subjunctive mood, and is used when you're are talking about something that isn't true or when you wish something was true.

And this give a good explanation as to when to use "If I was":

If she was feeling sick...<-- It is possible or probable that she was feeling sick.

"I was" is for things that could have happened in the past or now.

Please see https://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/lessons/if-i-were-if-i-was for more examples.

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Karlomanio
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  • But from Lexico: "3. If I were you… Usage seems to be changing in phrases such as 'if I were you', 'if it were up to me', etc. People often say 'if I was you' and 'if it was up to me', but the subjunctive is preferable in writing, especially any formal or academic prose." // I'd never use "If I was you", and perversely never "If it were up to me". – Edwin Ashworth Oct 30 '19 at 15:31
  • "If I were you" would something that isn't true. People often say "If I was you", but that is incorrect according to the rules given. In contrast, according to the subjunctive rules given above, "if it were up to me" is not incorrect because it conceivably expresses you wish to be true. – Karlomanio Oct 30 '19 at 15:43
  • The 'rules' are slowly changing, according to Lexico, and what was once a firm rule now ... isn't. "If it was up to me ..." is now unremarkable in speech (ie is quite acceptable from an educated person, in many other educated persons' – ones who are aware of the counter-argument's – opinion. Asil has: "Younger people would never use 'were', here in Australia at least. From the point of view of grammar, both are OK nowadays. It's interesting to note, that IELTS would accept both while TOEFL would be very reluctant to accept 'was'. " – Edwin Ashworth Oct 30 '19 at 15:56
  • Language is always evolving. The fact that we have no "Academy of English languages" as other languages do makes English both more interesting, and able to more freely evolve, while also making it more frustrating to determine what is actually "right or wrong." Yet many are of the opinion that the only "correct language" is the ability to express meaning and how it is done is irrelevant. – Karlomanio Oct 30 '19 at 16:15
  • But your answer subtly suggests that there is a correct answer. – Edwin Ashworth Oct 30 '19 at 17:05
  • I was trying to answer from the perspective of a language learner who needed an answer. I am quite aware of other alternatives, though. Instead of answering the question giving a lot of gray areas, I attempted to give the answer some clarity instead of confusing the questioner with a lot of linguistics theory. – Karlomanio Oct 30 '19 at 18:04
  • But ELU is targeted at providing a researchable resource. Other visitors may be misinformed by an elementary approach. The good of the many outweighs .... And remember that more basic questions, those expected from learners, should not be being asked on ELU. – Edwin Ashworth Oct 31 '19 at 10:42