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Hans51 Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
She talked as if she was my girlfriend.
1) She talks as if she is my girlfriend.
2) She talks as if she were my girlfriend.
3) She talked as if she was my girlfriend.
4) She talked as if she were my girlfriend.
I know what as if means and I know what is a difference between #1 and #2 and I was wondering if #3 is okay to use as a past version of #1? So if we want to say in fact, she was not my girlfriend , we should say the #4, but if we just want to say a past version of #1, we should say #3?
What do you native English speakers think? Thank you so much in advance.
2) She talks as if she were my girlfriend.
3) She talked as if she was my girlfriend.
4) She talked as if she were my girlfriend.
I know what as if means and I know what is a difference between #1 and #2 and I was wondering if #3 is okay to use as a past version of #1? So if we want to say in fact, she was not my girlfriend , we should say the #4, but if we just want to say a past version of #1, we should say #3?
What do you native English speakers think? Thank you so much in advance.
Top answer
if we want to say in fact, she was not my girlfriend , we should say the #4, I'm not sure but i think there is no difference between "as if she was" and "as if she were". What do you native English speakers think? I think number 4 is more common among native speakers.
- if we want to say in fact, she was not my girlfriend , we should say the #4, I'm not sure but i think there is no difference between "as if she was" and "as if she were".
- What do you native English speakers think?
- I think number 4 is more common among native speakers.
- (I'm not a native English speaker)
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5 Answers
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I'm not sure but i think there is no difference between "as if she was" and "as if she were".
if we want to say in fact, she was not my girlfriend , we should say the #4,
I think number 4 is more common among native speakers. (I'm not a native Engli
What do you native English speakers think?
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1) She talks as if she is my girlfriend. Informal.
2) She talks as if she were my girlfriend. Correct (also according to formal grammar.).
3) She talked as if she was my girlfriend. Informal (some might call it substandard).
4) She
2) She talks as if she were my girlfriend. Correct (also according to formal grammar.).
3) She talked as if she was my girlfriend. Informal (some might call it substandard).
4) She
00
Thank you so much and what I really would like to know is if was in the #3 is just a past version of is in the #1 or was is written instead of were as a common mistake or both are possible? What do you think?
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Since it is non-standard, either interpretation is possible. I would stick with the correct grammar.
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1) She talks as if she is my girlfriend. -- Agree with A.S. this is informal, and not typical.
2) She talks as if she were my girlfriend. -- Correct.
3) She talked as if she was my girlfriend. -- Only if you are retelling a story completely in the past, and using it as the past form of the informal #1; otherwise using "was" is incorrect,
2) She talks as if she were my girlfriend. -- Correct.
3) She talked as if she was my girlfriend. -- Only if you are retelling a story completely in the past, and using it as the past form of the informal #1; otherwise using "was" is incorrect,
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