If he was or if he were?

"If he were in Iran right now he'd be in jail." The use of "were" in this sentence is an example of the subjunctive mood in English. It is a hypothetical statement.

Ali.hWhich is correct:
If he was in Iran right now he'd be in jail
If he were in Iran right now he'd be in jail

Both are correct, though the Irrealis Mood ('were') is more formal and becoming out-dated.

BillJ

'Irrealis' is a rather arcane term for several moods, Bill. Better to stick to 'subjunctive' so that everyone understands.

So, Is there no use to say 'If I were you'? Is it better to say 'If I was you'?

"If I were you...."
Follow suject-verb agreement rule.

So, Is there no use to say 'If I were you'? Is it better to say 'If I was you'?-- No. Bill was just giving an overview. 'Were' is necessary in careful speaking and writing, but 'was' is common in conversation.

'If I were' is formal(proper)

whereas If I was is used in daily conversation and should be avoided.

@akhil ..this is not subject-verb agreement rule...this is a conditional sentence.

'If I was' is indeed used in daily conversation, but for that reason it needn't be avoided: it is natural English.

I meant 'if we have subjunctive clause,we'll use 'were'.

Thanks for bringing it into my notice.

Regards!

If we say 'If I were..' we are considering unrealistic situations. As in: 'If I were you..'

And if we say 'If I was...' that shows we are considering a possible situation.

'If I was in a good mood, I wouldn't have left the meeting.'

Any opinions on that?