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Trivia Which is correct: "if I were you" or "if I was you"?

plhbg1

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“If I were” uses the subjunctive mood, indicating that the statement or question is contrary to fact. “If I was” uses the past tense, indicating that the event took place in the past.

Examples:
  • “I think I’d ring your lawyer now if I were you.”
  • “If I were your wife, I would have left you, too.”
  • “I'd be nervous too if I were you.”
  • “I would not say such things if I were you.”
  • “I wouldn't drink that if I were you.”

  • “I'm sorry if I was a little brusque with you.”
  • “I had to know if I was right.”
  • “If I was sure of anything, I was sure of that.”
  • “So, what if I was ten minutes late?”
  • “At the hospital, I was asked if I was a relative.”
There’s this old rule that exists in many languages, that when we declare something that is untrue as if it is true, you should change the main verb of the sentence from “is” (or “are”) to “were.”

This version of the verb’s tense is called the subjunctive mood, which is a form of the verb that represents an act or state not as a fact, but as potential or possible.

You would not say, logically, “I wish that I am on vacation right now, instead of working.” Why? Because you are not on vacation right now—otherwise, you would not be wishing it. So you say, using the subjunctive mood, “I wish I were on vacation right now.”
 
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