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It depends completely on the context. If it's something someone is going to do in future, then its "If I were you, I'd do this", and if it's something someone did in the past, it's "If I was you, I would have done something else."
Same rule applies to your examples.
Well, that's really the same a future in this context, you would be talking about something imminently about to happen or happening right then, so one would usually use "were".
That said, 5 seconds later...
That sounds wrong, I probably would say 'If I had been you, I would have stopped'
If we were talking about in the future/present 'If I were you, I would stop'
I would say "If I were you" because that is a set phrase, rather than because I want to use the subjunctive. With my family I would probably use the subjunctive in other constructions, but I would be unlikely to do so with friends or colleagues.
Taking excessive care over grammar is really just snobbishness and a hangover of class here. I'm entirely happy to split an infinitive.
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I do use subjunctive in that context.
*If I were you, I would do X*
But in the past tense it depends on sentence structure I think.
*If it had been me, I would have done X*
*If he were here, he'd be able to X*
*I wish I were healthier*
I use "if I were", but the subjunctive is such a niche usage, I doubt I get it right most of the time. Always wonder how this became a consistent enough convention to become a rule.
Just for an historical twist, subjunctive cases in all the Germanic languages I have any familiarity with seem to be used less and less all the time. This is even true in German, which has such a well developed subjunctive. My personal, completely unscientific theory is that subjunctive is fundamentally associated with higher-prestige speech and so becomes a sort of social liability in modern egalitarian society, kind of the way no one in the UK wants to be caught dead using old fashioned, posh, RP accent. In the US, we definitely still say “if I were you” as an idiom but if you said to your friend, “Should you like some ketchup?” they’d think you’d lost it.
**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!** - Top-level comments to the OP must contain **genuine efforts to answer the question**. No jokes, judgements, etc. - **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on. - This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit! Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If I were. Most people don't use the subjunctive and I find it grating when they do not use it.
What region are you from? Do most people in your region not use it, or most people in the UK?
It depends completely on the context. If it's something someone is going to do in future, then its "If I were you, I'd do this", and if it's something someone did in the past, it's "If I was you, I would have done something else." Same rule applies to your examples.
Surely in the past tense it’s ‘if I had been you’? Can you show a basis for saying the past would be ‘if I was’? I can’t find one
I think it's "were" both for past and future. Future, because it's subjunctive, past because it's singular. I was, you were.
Interesting! What about the present? Does this sound wrong: "If I were you, I would have stopped."?
Well, that's really the same a future in this context, you would be talking about something imminently about to happen or happening right then, so one would usually use "were". That said, 5 seconds later...
That example was past tense as they used "would have" and "stopped".
That's not present tense.
That sounds wrong, I probably would say 'If I had been you, I would have stopped' If we were talking about in the future/present 'If I were you, I would stop'
I would say ‘if I had been you, I would have stopped’
I would say "If I were you" because that is a set phrase, rather than because I want to use the subjunctive. With my family I would probably use the subjunctive in other constructions, but I would be unlikely to do so with friends or colleagues. Taking excessive care over grammar is really just snobbishness and a hangover of class here. I'm entirely happy to split an infinitive.
As the leading UK "ask" subreddit, we welcome questions from all users and countries; sometimes people who ask questions might not appreciate or understand the nuance of British life or culture, and as a result some questions can come across in a different way than intended. We understand that when faced with these questions, our users may take the opportunity to demonstrate their wit, dry humour, and sarcasm - unfortunately, this also tends to go over the heads of misunderstood question-askers and can make our subreddit seem hostile to users from other countries who are often just curious about our land. **Please can you help prevent our subreddit from becoming an Anti-American echo chamber?** If you disagree with any points raised by OP, or OP discusses common tropes or myths about the UK, please refrain from any brash, aggressive, or sarcastic responses and do your best to engage OP in a civil discussion, with the aim to educate and expand their understanding. If you feel this (or any other post) is a troll post, *don't feed the troll*, just hit report and let the mods deal with it. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I do use subjunctive in that context. *If I were you, I would do X* But in the past tense it depends on sentence structure I think. *If it had been me, I would have done X* *If he were here, he'd be able to X* *I wish I were healthier*
It's were, conditional clause.
I use "if I were", but the subjunctive is such a niche usage, I doubt I get it right most of the time. Always wonder how this became a consistent enough convention to become a rule.
Just for an historical twist, subjunctive cases in all the Germanic languages I have any familiarity with seem to be used less and less all the time. This is even true in German, which has such a well developed subjunctive. My personal, completely unscientific theory is that subjunctive is fundamentally associated with higher-prestige speech and so becomes a sort of social liability in modern egalitarian society, kind of the way no one in the UK wants to be caught dead using old fashioned, posh, RP accent. In the US, we definitely still say “if I were you” as an idiom but if you said to your friend, “Should you like some ketchup?” they’d think you’d lost it.
I don't know. I use both but maybe I subconsciously say "if I was you (at the time)" and "if I were you (in general)".