If it wasn’t or hadn’t been
Hi,
I know that the usual structure is
‘if it hadn’t been for someone, he’d have..’ when I’m referring to the past.
However, I was wondering if I could write it like this:
“If it wasn’t for him, I’d not have understood what the teacher was talking about.”
Thank you.
Top answer
I would say that "If it wasn't for him" (or, more formal, "If it weren't for him") can just about be justified in connection with a recent past event, on the basis that you are talking about his general existence, not his existence at a particular past time. On the other hand, it may also appear as a mistaken attempt at the third conditional, so it's probably best to stick to "hadn't been".
- I would say that "If it wasn't for him" (or, more formal, "If it weren't for him") can just about be justified in connection with a recent past event, on the basis that you are talking about his general existence, not his existence at a particular past time.
- On the other hand, it may also appear as a mistaken attempt at the third conditional, so it's probably best to stick to "hadn't been".
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I would say that "If it wasn't for him" (or, more formal, "If it weren't for him") can just about be justified in connection with a recent past event, on the basis that you are talking about his general existence, not his existence at a particular past time. On the other hand, it may also appear as a mistaken attempt at the third conditional, so it's probably best to stick to "hadn't been".
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