Confusion in simple question

Question

Hi, I'm really confused in the following sentence:

"If I were you, I would have been done that thing".

First thing that really making me bemused is can we use "were" with "I" too? I know that it can be with "was", but really unsure about with "were".

Second thing, is it right to "would have" here? As far as I know, it is only used in past third condition, but here I cann't see anything like that.

Thanks in advance for help. cheers!

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

This is an example of the present time subjunctive mood. It is giving a hypothetical situation which is not true. The past form of the verb is used, followed by "would" or "could".

If I were rich, I would go to Hawaii. (I am not rich.)
If I had a faster car, I could drive to New York in an hour. (My car is slow)

If I had time, I would go on vacation. (I don't have time.)

By the way, your sentence is not correct.

English_Learner123"If I were you, I would ~~have been~~ do that thing".

[EDIR] Subjunctive mood also has a past time reference. Here are some examples:

If I had been rich, I would have studied at Harvard. (I was not rich)

If I had won the scholarship, I could have studied at Harvard. (I didn't win the scholarship)

Avangi · Answer

Hi 123, thanks for joining us. Welcome to English Forums.[<:o)]

If you're this deeply into conditionals, you should be no stranger to the subjunctive mood.

It's generally acceptable to substitute simple past "was" for the subjunctive "were."

But "If I were you" is pretty well enshrined as a "fixed expression."

English_Learner123"If I were you, I would have been done that thing".

Others can give you a better argument on which conditional is exemplified here. I'm sure if you wanted to talk about a past event, you could say, "If I had been you, I would have been embarrassed," or, "I would have simply walked away."

When you're speaking in the present tense, you're giving advice, so "would" has a different meaning.
In retrospect, I'll say that in your example, "I would do X" would be expected. The perfect tense doesn't match "If I were you," and "been done" is quite irregular.

You could say, "If I had been you, I would have been doing the exact opposite!"

Or, "If I had been you, that would never have been done."

Best wishes, - A.

English_Learner123 · Answer

Thanks.

Confusion in simple question

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