What is the meaning of "were we to do..."?

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

Dear friends,
Sometimes I see the sentence is beginned with “were we to do…”. Why? Can we use were at first in case it is not a question?

The example sentence:
“We cannot return to Rwanda,” the young man in the sweat-stained Denver Broncos T-shirt told me earnestly. “We are Hutus, you see, and were we to do so we would surely be killed.”

Thanks,
Siam

2

Hi SiamS,
In conditional sentences-after omitting ''IF", there is an inversion between subject and verb without a question mark.
If you should pass your exam,I will buy you a bike.(Should you pass your exam,…)
If we were to do so,we would surely be killed.(Were we to do so,…)
If you had studied well,you would have passed your exam.(Had you studied well,…)
Hope this helps!
Morteza

3

Hi Morteza
Thanks so much for your kind explanation. It helps me to find this subject in my grammar book. At first, I didn’t know which content I should look for.
Morever, I can reveal this pattern is used particularly in formal or literary English, and only in hypothetical conditionals (a type of unreal conditoinal which answers the questoin ‘What would happen if…?’):

  • It would be embarrassing, were she to find out the truth. (= If she were to find out…)
    Right now, I’m clear how to use it.
    Thanks so much :smiley:
    SiamS