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Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

If I were / was... ?

Hi every one;

In one of Beyonce songs, she sing:
If I were a boy
I think I could understand
How it feels to love a girl
I swear I'd be a better man

I wonder why in the lyric they use "were" where someone may expect "was" ?

Thanks
  

Top answer

Were is used because the verb is in the subjunctive mood, indicating an unreal condition. W as is often used in place of were , but I don't consider doing so good English, and I don't recommend it. )

— RandomGuy

  • Were is used because the verb is in the subjunctive mood, indicating an unreal condition.
  • W as is often used in place of were , but I don't consider doing so good English, and I don't recommend it.
  • )
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2 Answers
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Were is used because the verb is in the subjunctive mood, indicating an unreal condition. Was is often used in place of were, but I don't consider doing so good English, and I don't recommend it.

If I were a boy … (But I'm not a boy.)
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AnonymousI wonder why in the lyric they use "were"
Because it's after "if". After "if", was is very frequently changed to were. This indicates something imagined. Here, the singer, a woman, is imagining herself as a boy.

CJ
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