If i was a policeman vs if i were policemen

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hello what is the difference between these two sentences and which one is correct?

If I was a policeman.

If I were a policeman.

Please give me some exaples using the above sentences.

2

Hi,
I think the second one is correct ,because in conditional sentences type(2) it’s gramatically correct to use WERE not WAS:
If I were you,I would tell her the truth.
If he were a policeman,he could catch thieves/robbers red-handed.
However,both WAS and WERE are right when IT is a subject: :shock:
If it was/were nice today,we could go on a picnic.
Hope this helps,
Morteza

3

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The subject is irrelevant. ‘Were’ is the formal subjunctive form for conditions contrary to fact: ‘If I were king’, ‘if it were sunny today’. However, this form is being replaced by the indicative ‘was’, which is now common in conversation. Both relate to the present.

For a reference to past fact, ‘was’ is fine: ‘If I was rude last night, please forgive me’, ‘If you were rude last night, I forgive you’.
.

4

Thank you Mr Mister Micawber for your clarification. you have made a nice point . were is the formal contrary to fact.

Can we say: If I was a policeman I could arrest him last night.

5

Hey Morteza, I did not know if it can go with both was and were. Thank you for the explanation
Muller

6

Hello Muller,

It’s nice to see you are trying to improve your grammar. Keep going!

The first part of your sentence is okay, but the second one is not.

It should read: ‘If I was a policeman, I would have arrested him last night.’

I cannot explain this to you, but maybe a teacher could.

Best regards.

7

Hello everybody

We usually use the subjunctive were instead of “was” after if (and other words with similar meaning). Look at these sentences:

  • If I were you, I would ask her.
  • Suppose she were here. What would you say?

We sometimes hear things like “if I were you, I would go” or “if he were here, he would tell you”. Normally, the past tense of the verb “to be” is: I was, he was. But the if I were you structure does not use the past simple tense of the verb “to be”. It uses the past subjunctive of the verb "to be

in formal we say If I were younger, I would go but, in informal we say If I was younger, I would go.

We do not normally say “if I was you”, even in familiar conversation.

8

Hello Mr SkiIuck,
Thank you so much for the correction, there is a saying in English , I hope your correction will stick in my mind and I won’t make any mistake with that form again. I am improving
Best Regards
Muller