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Usenet Posted 23 years ago
Learning

'if' and 'whether' - always exchangeable?

Hi, I am a newbie here.

Are "if" and "whether" always exchangeable?

"I wonder, if he makes it in time." is the same as "I wonder, whether he makes it in time.".

But, are there exceptions where "if" and "whether" can't be exchanged?

If so, could I get some examples please?

TIA Hartmut from Germany
  

Top answer

HappyHippo at (Email Removed) says in : [nq:1]Hi, I am a newbie here. [/nq] They're not always interchangeable, but in the contexts where they are interchangeable "whether" tends to be regarded as more formal than "if". [/nq] In those two statements the two main problems have nothing to do with the eternal tussle between "if" and "whether".

— Usenet

  • HappyHippo at (Email Removed) says in : [nq:1]Hi, I am a newbie here.
  • [/nq] They're not always interchangeable, but in the contexts where they are interchangeable "whether" tends to be regarded as more formal than "if".
  • [/nq] In those two statements the two main problems have nothing to do with the eternal tussle between "if" and "whether".
  • The main problems are the use of the wrong verb tense and the abuse of the comma.
  • [/nq] Yes.
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5 Answers
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HappyHippo at (Email Removed) says in :
[nq:1]Hi, I am a newbie here. Are "if" and "whether" always exchangeable?[/nq]
They're not always interchangeable, but in the contexts where they are interchangeable "whether" tends to be regarded as more formal than "if".
[nq:1]"I wonder, if he makes it in time." is the same as "I wonder, whether he makes it in time.".[/nq]
In those
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"Quentin Burward" (Email Removed) schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:BBF77B28.1A94E%(Email Removed)...
[nq:1]HappyHippo at (Email Removed) says in :[/nq]
[nq:2]Hi, I am a newbie here. Are "if" and "whether" always exchangeable?[/nq]
[nq:1]They're not always interchangeable, but in the contexts where they are interchangeable "whether" tends to be regarded as more formal than "if".[/nq]
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[nq:1]"Quentin Burward" (Email Removed) schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:BBF77B28.1A94E%(Email Removed)...[/nq]
[nq:2]HappyHippo at (Email Removed) says in :[/nq]
[nq:1]I was imaging a situation of a guy trying to catch a bus in time. Another guy stands at the ... this other guy really think "...if he will make it in time" and not "if he makes it in time"?[/nq]
Correct.

Adrian
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Hartmut Mühlenbein at (Email Removed) says in :
[nq:1](. . .) Thanks for your help, Quentin.[/nq]
Bitte schön.
[nq:1]I was imaging a situation of a guy trying to catch a bus in time. Another guy stands at the ... this other guy really think "...if he will make it in time" and not "if he makes it in time"?[/nq]
As I tried to explain in my earlier message, the choice of verb tense--
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[nq:1]"Quentin Burward" (Email Removed) schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:BBF77B28.1A94E%(Email Removed)...[/nq]
[nq:2]HappyHippo at (Email Removed) says in : They're not ... between "if" and "whether". The main problems are the use[/nq]
[nq:1]of[/nq]
[nq:2]the wrong verb tense and the abuse of the comma. ... here's one of the countless sentences where "if" would be[/nq]
[nq:1]inappropr
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