If I Were You, I’d Learn the Difference Between “If I Was” & “If I W
The use of “if I were” for imaginary situations is a bit different from using “if I was”. Learn when to use both correctly.
- If I were is used when the subject of the sentence is referring to a hypothetical or imaginary situation.
- If I was is used to refer to a situation that actually happened in the past.
- ○ If I were good at math and science, I would’ve become a doctor.
- ○ If I was late to school when I was younger, I’d get detention.
“If I Was” or “If I Were”?
If I was and if I were are often used interchangeably. But there’s a right way and a wrong way of using these if-phrases. To choose the correct phrasing, you need to know about subjunctive mood and indicative mood. We’ll teach you more below.
You can also use our Grammar Checker to quickly and easily catch mistakes.
If I Were …
The subjunctive mood is used for hypothetical, imaginary, or contrary-to-fact situations. If I were is used in these circumstances.
If I Was …
The indicative mood refers to an actuality or declarative statement. Therefore, if I was is used to describe something that already happened in the past.
“If I Was” or “If I Were”—Examples
Here are some more examples of sentences with the if I was or if I were phrasing.
Alternatively, you can rephrase sentences to avoid potential mistakes. Our Paraphrasing Tool can help you rewrite sentences to accurately convey your meaning.
“If I Was” or “If I Were”—There’s a Difference!
When you’re trying to remember which phrase to use, just ask yourself this: is what you’re referring to imaginary, or did it really happen? If it’s an imaginary situation, use if I were. If it really happened, use if I was.
If I were you, though, I’d make sure to use LanguageTool as my writing assistant. Not only will it correct these phrases if used incorrectly, but it will suggest stylistic improvements while also checking for spelling and grammar mistakes.