If I were/had been a bird

Both of these are natural:

If I were a bird, I could fly to you. (present time)
If I had been a bird, I could have flown to you at that time. (past time)

What I wanted to clarify is if it is possible to say, "If I were a bird, I could have flown to you."

Please look at the following sentences.

Last week, I saw a newspaper ad offering a limited sale on 50 new computers at a discount price.
I would have bought it if I were rich/if I had been rich.

I am not rich. I was not rich, either. As a matter of fact I've never b

Snappy:

Yes, it is possible. I am not a grammar expert, but advising only from how I think about the subjunctive tenses as a native speaker.

If I were rich, I would (could) buy the computer.-> this is OK. It relates to present time.

If I were rich, I would (could) have bought the computer. -> This is OK and says that I am not rich now, and that the opportunity fo

AlpheccaStarsIf I had been rich, I would (could) have bought the computer. -> This is OK, too, but it implies that this point in time was not recent, but some time ago. I might be rich now. Especially if I use the adverb "then", it implies that I am rich now, but was not at the time. (If I had been rich then, I would have...).

Then "If I were a bird, I

SnappyThen "If I were a bird, I could have flown to you at that time" should be okay, because I was not a bird and I am not a bird. "If I had been a bird, I could have flow to you at that time" should be gramatically okay too.

Corrections: "If I had been a bird, I could have flown to you at that time" should be gramatically okay too.

It has passed a few months, but I am still confused.
1. Please let me know if my understanding is correct.
a) If I had been a bird, I could have flown to you at that time. (This is grammatically correct.)
b) If I were a bird, I could have flown to you at that time. (Most native speakers do not think that this sentence sounds right, because the tenses are mixed.)
c) If I were rich

Let me explain both sentences with below timeline.

Timeline:
..(a)Before today.......(b)Today........(c)After today

1. If I were a bird (WRONG for a to b timeline).
2. If I had been a bird (CORRECT for a to b timeline).

Case 1: If you become something today then you will do something in timeline from b to c.
Case 2: I

Note that you are the first to reply to this thread since August of 2009. It is doubtful whether the original poster is still around to appreciate your reply.

CJ

My reply was for people (having the same question) who find this page in top 5 results on google.

~vas

AnonymousMy reply was for people (having the same question) who find this page in top 5 results on google.~vas

OK. Just saying.

CJ