If i were a boy ошибка - ErrorsMaster.ru - большая энциклопедия ошибок и их решений

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24 июля 2009, 16:29

Hi everybody.
Someone tell me please, why Beyonce used to say ‘If i were a boy’ instead of ‘If I was a boy’.
Thanks
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Васька
24 июля 2009, 16:43

americans use were and will.they dont use was or shall.
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Васька
24 июля 2009, 16:47

not that they dont use «was» at all.they just dont care about that,i think.
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Michael
24 июля 2009, 21:17

In English we use the subjunctive mode (Сослагательное наклонение) to express statements that are contrary to fact. Also, we often use the subjunctive “were” instead of «was» after the word “if.”
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Olga K
7 октября 2009, 12:50

Michael прав оборот If I were — это грамматический стандарт, здесь неважно: британский или американский анг. Меня вообще бесит, что многие считают американцев тупицами, думают, что их версия англ. проще, чем британская. На мой взгляд, амер. англ. более уникален, т.к. он смог сохранить грамматические и лексические стандарты старого английского!!! If I were you I would be more respectful, as I think you should’ve not badmouthed a people who you don’t know much about!!!
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Gora
8 октября 2009, 16:54

просто когда ты говориш о заведомо нереальных вещах, употребляеш «if i were»
If i were a bird, i’d can fly!
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Lusy
17 октября 2009, 15:04

I agree. Another example from the song «I feel good «. Why good, instead of well??? Of course- I feel bad, I feel awful , but I feel well !!!

[Grammar] If I were a boy..

Thread starter
jang gang
Start date
Dec 30, 2011

Status: Not open for further replies.

Hi, I have a question
this sentence -> If I were a boy
why ‘were’?
why don’t use ‘was’?
«If i was a boy» is wrong sentence?
I want to know reason bye!

Last edited: Dec 31, 2011

Not a teacher,Nor a native
Because it is subjunctive.

Hi, I have a question
this sentence -> If I were a boy
why ‘were’?
why don’t use ‘was’?
«If i was a boy» is wrong sentence?
I want to know reason bye!

Not a teacher, nor a native.
Both was and were can be used. Though the latter is used more often.

Hi, I have a question
this sentence -> If I were a boy
why ‘were’?
why don’t use ‘was’?
«If i was a boy» is wrong sentence?
I want to know reason bye!

In conditional sentences, we use «were» for all persons.
If she were here, we would start.
If I were you, I wouldn’t do it.

It uses conditional 2, as the condition is impossible or unlikely.

Hi, I have a question
this sentence -> If I were a boy
why ‘were’?
why don’t use ‘was’?
«If i was a boy» is wrong sentence?
I want to know reason bye!

NOT A TEACHER

(1) As the other posters have told you, there is something called the subjunctive.

We use the subjunctive when we are talking about something that is not true.

(a) Of course, I am not the president. But if I were the president, I would make

a lot of changes.

(2) «If I were a boy» = I am NOT a boy. (Of course, only a girl would say this

sentence!)

(3) Some native speakers say «If I WAS a boy» or «If I WAS the president.»

I have read that here in the United States, most native speakers still use the

subjunctive («were») because they hear it so often on TV, etc. I hear that in

some other English-speaking countries, many people do not use the subjunctive

so often as do Americans.

(4) If I WERE you (I am NOT you), I would continue to ask questions here.

As you can see, many people are eager to help you.

Good luck.

5jj

In conditional sentences, we use «were» for all persons.
If she were here, we would start..

Many speakers of BrE do not use ‘were’ in all persons. Although purists are not happy about this, ‘was’ is acceptable for the first and third persons singular in all but formal speech and writing — even there, some people use ‘was’.

‘Were’ is still commonly used in ‘if I were you’, which can almost be regarded as a fixed expression.

Status: Not open for further replies.

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�� : �� «If I WERE a boy»?

Hammer32

14-12-2008, 23:15

�� . �� , �� «If I WAS a boy». �� ?

�� . � �� to be �� Σ� �� were.
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P.S. Pet Shop Boys �� «If I was you, I wouldn’t treat me the way you do», � �� . � �� , �� ϣ� ��, �� .

Constructor

14-12-2008, 23:52

�� «If i were you, and you were me»

�� ??
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*generation*

15-12-2008, 00:03

� �� Katty Perry � «I Kissed A Girl» ��: «..I hope my boyfriend DON’T mind it..»?
�� ?:rolleyes: ��

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15-12-2008, 23:37

�� , �� ̣��…�� 0��!:)

ChertOFFka

15-12-2008, 23:55

If I were you �� , �� :rolleyes:

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Конечно, никакой особенной Америки с употреблением глагольных форм was / were не откроешь: форма was употребляется в единственном числе, а форма were — во множественном времени Past Indefinite.

На этом можно было бы и закрыть дискуссию. Но мы её не закроем. Слушаем песенку и проникаемся её грамматическим аспектом:

Beyoncé — If I Were A Boy

Почему же здесь форма were рядом с местоимением первого лица единственного числа? Вопиющая безграмотность? Афроамериканский сленг?

Нет, самые что ни есть строгие правила английской грамматики. Перед нами условные предложения 2-го типа

Improbable condition,

которые описывают маловероятные или невозможные предположения, относящиеся к настоящему времени. Бейонсе поёт: «Если бы я была парнем, то…» (делала бы то-то и то-то), но она парнем не была и никогда не будет. То есть такие предложения описывают не ситуацию, которая возможна на определённых условиях, а совершенно нереальные предположения.

В таких случаях форму were следует употреблять независимо от грамматического числа, а во второй части должен следовать модальный глагол (should / would / could), в речи после местоимений часто сокращаемый до ‘d, а уже затем инфинитив глагола, описывающего собственно действие.

В рассматриваемой песне так и происходит:

If I were a boy

I would turn off my phone

Tell everyone it’s broken

So they’d think that I was sleeping alone

Разъяснение особенностей построения таких предложений, а также интерактивные упражнения можно найти здесь.

Не все англоговорящие помнят это правило. В английском языке есть свои «ложат», «звóнят» — индикаторы малограмотности то есть. И умение правильно строить условные предложения 2-го типа относится к ним.

Любители детективного сериала «Инспектор Морс» могли слышать в эпизоде

«Виртуальный призрак» — «Ghost in the Machine»,

как Морс отчитывает Льюиса за ошибку в построении именно такого предложения, на 16 минуте:

Chief Inspector Morse: You’re not a bloody mason, are you?

Detective Sergeant Lewis: No such luck — I might have been a Chief Inspector by now if I was.

Chief Inspector Morse: «Were», Lewis, if you «were». You’ll never get on if you can’t master your subjunctives.

Как с делом справились русские переводчики, можно посмотреть здесь. Кстати, они не отразили игру слов в оригинале: «каменщик» и «масон» — mason.

Морс: Вы же не каменщик, Льюис, не так ли?
Льюис: Не повезло — я бы уже дослужился до главного инспектора, если я был (то есть если бы он состоял в масонской ложе).
Морс: «Если бы», Льюис, «если бы я был». Вы никогда не дослужитесь, если не освоите (построение) условных предложений (условного наклонения).

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— If I were in Moscow, I would visit the Red Square.
— If I was the Red Square, you would be welcome.

Grammar books are likely to tell you that «were» and » was» are interchangeable in sentences like

If I was the Prime Minister, I would change the law.

This verb form is called the subjunctive. Originally «were» was the correct form here and that was how pepole were taught at school. But common usage gained acceptance for «was» and grammar books began to mention «If I was…» as a correct variant (about thirty-forty years ago).

The reason why «was» competes with «were» in the sujunctive is obvious: it saves us a rule to remember. We know that the simple past is «I was». Why should we remember that ‘to be’ is the only verb with the subjunctive form different from the simple past form?

Still, many people continue to frown on «If I was…». We offer you a recent discussion of this on the web site PainintheEnglish.com.

OPINION:

«If I was the Prime Minister. …” said Ed Miliband, British Labour party leader, today, Sunday 24th September 2011. Is this not how to phrase it if it remains a possibility that he was once Prime Minister, or if he is not sure if he was, or is reluctant to admit it? “If I were the Prime Minister, …”, using the subjunctive mood of the verb, would suggest that he is not Prime minister but is about to tell us what he would do if he were the PM. It seems the subjunctive is now defunct in UK Labour politics.

COMMENT 1

Another example of how «common usage» leads to deterioration and debasement of the language.
Anyone with an education from a decent UK school will tell you that of course the correct form is «If I were«.
Unfortunately, because of «common usage», it appears that «If I was» is now acceptable.

COMMENT 2

My idiolect doesn’t make any difference in meaning between If I was/were the Prime Minister, I would change the law.

I know that both sentences are counterfactual, since the form of «be» is in the past tense, and the main clause has «would». I’m not sure how this variation is evidence of deterioration.

In fact «be» is the only verb that has a special form for the counterfactual. With every other verb, we use the simple past, for instance: If I lived in Paris, I would visit the Eiffel Tower.

Writers have been using «was» and «were» interchangeable for about 300 years.

COMMENT 3

I cannot imagine having heard ‘if I was …’ used by anyone using English as a second language. Americans get this one right too. It seems almost a deliberate ploy to suggest such things as «if I was you» when used by a British public figure, with what motive? The answer is evident.

В пособиях по грамматике вы могли видеть, что глаголы «were» и «was» взаимозаменяемы в предложениях типа:

If I was the Prime Minister, I would change the law.

Это сослагательное наклонение. Первоначально его правильной формой было «were», и именно так учили в школе. Но языковая практика сделала приемлемым и «was». Поэтому уже лет 30-40 пособия по грамматике упоминают «was» как правильный вариант.

Причина сильного соперничества «was» в сослагательном наклонении очевидна: не надо запоминать лишнее правило. Мы знаем, что простое прошедшее будет «I was». Зачем запоминать, что «to be» — чуть ли не единственный глагол, у которого сослагательное наклонение в 1-ом лице отличается от простого прошедшего времени?

И всё же многие неодобрительно воспринимают «If I was…». Предлагаем последнюю дискуссию на сайте PainintheEnglish.com.

МНЕНИЕ:

Лидер британской партии лейбористов Эд Миллибэнд в своей речи сегодня 24 сентября 2011 г. сказал «If I was the Prime Minister. …”. Разве можно так говорить? Если бы он сказал “If I were the Prime Minister …” , то есть употребил бы сослагательное наклонение, то было бы ясно, что сейчас он премьером не является, но собирается рассказать нам, что бы он делал, если бы был им. Похоже, наши политики-лейбористы забыли правильные формы сослагательного наклонения для глагола «to be».

КОММЕНТАРИЙ 1

Перед нами ещё один пример того, как «языковая практика» ведёт к ухудшению и снижению уровня языка.
Любой выпускник приличной британской школы скажет вам, что — конечно же! — правильной формой является «If I were«.
Кажется, распространённость этой ошибки привела к тому, что «If I was» стали считать приемлемым. Об этом можно только сожалеть.

КОММЕНТАРИЙ 2

Я совершенно не вижу разницы между употреблением «was» и «were» в предложении If I was/were the Prime Minister, I would change the law.

Мне понятно, что оба предложения говорят о гипотетичесrой ситуации. Я вижу это из того, что глагол «to be» в придаточном предложении стоит с прошедшем времени, а при глаголе главного предложения стоит вспомогательный «would». Не понимаю, почему вариант с «was» свидетельствует об ухудшении языка.

Вообще, глагол «to be» — единственный, у которого форма сослагательного наклонения отличается от простого прошедшего. С любым другим глаголом мы используем простое прошедшее: If I lived in Paris, I would visit the Eiffel Tower. (Если бы я жила в Париже, то посетила бы Эйфелеву башню.)

Уже около 300 лет формы глагола «was» и «were» используются (здесь) как взаимозаменяемые.

КОММЕНТАРИЙ 3

Не могу себе представить, что кто-то из изучавших английский язык как иностранный скажет «If I was …». И американцы, кстати, были бы со мной согласны. Когда слышишь такие ошибки в речи британского политика, начинаешь думать, что они делаются умышленно, с какой-то целью. Очевидный мотив — популизм [прим. перев. — лейбористская партия (Labour Party) можно перевести как «партия труда»].

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Beyonce’s hit, «If I were a Boy» is not just a great tune (song) to listen to on your way to work. It is a super example of how to use the second conditional.

Make learning English fun and easy…by listening to your favorite songs. The Bare naked ladies’ song, «If I had a Million Dollars», as well as»If I were a Boy», both speak about a hypothetical situation and how it would be.

Beyonce is not a man (boy) but she speaks about what she would do and how she would be if she were.

Listen and watch her video here, and then read along with the lyrics I have provided. Afterwards you can explore some of the phrasal verbs found in the song.

«If I were a Boy» by Beyonce Knowles: Lyrics

Intimacy
Honesty
commitment
You
Me
Us

If I were a boy
Even just for a day
I’d roll outta* bed in the morning *

out of

And throw on what I wanted and go
Drink beer with the guys
And chase after girls
I’d

kick it

with who I wanted
And I’d never get confronted for it.
Cause they’d stick up for me.

[Chorus]
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’d listen to her
Cause I know how it hurts
When you lose the one you wanted
Cause he’s taken you for granted
And everything you had got destroyed

If I were a boy
I would turn off my phone
Tell everyone it’s broken
So they’d think that I was sleepin’ alone
I’d put myself first
And make the rules as I go
Cause I know that she’d be faithful
Waitin’ for me to come home (to come home)

It’s a little too late for you to come back
Say its just a mistake
Think I’d forgive you like that
If you thought I would wait for you
You thought wrong

You know when you act like that.
I don’t think you realize how it makes me look, or feel.
Act like what?
Why are you so jealous?
It’s not like I’m sleeping with the guy.
What?
What
I said yo, why you so jealous?
It ain’t like I’m sleeping with the girl.

But you’re just a boy
You don’t understand
Yeah you don’t understand
How it feels to love a girl someday
You’d wish you were a better man
You don’t listen to her
You don’t care how it hurts
Until you lose the one you wanted
Cause you’ve taken her for granted
And everything you have got destroyed
But you’re just a boy

Phrasal Verbs

1)Throw on

2)Chase after

3)Stick up

4)Turn off

5)Kick it isn’t a phrasal verb, but what does it mean?

Here are the answers. Try to match the phrasal verb with the correct definition.

Look at the phrasal verbs in the context of the song to see if you can understand their meanings.

A) To stop something operating by disengaging a switch
B) To relax and be comfortable with others.
C) Is a quicker version of «put on». For example…putting on clothing but more quickly or without care.
D) To defend against attack or criticism
E) To pursue with the intent to catch

For the answers scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Do you understand the theory of the second conditional?

I have explained the phrasal verbs in this song to you, but there might be something else that confuses you or that you don’t quite understand.

Phrasal Verb answers:

A) TURN OFF: To stop something operating by disengaging a switch

B) KICK IT: To relax and be comfortable with others.

C) THROW ON: Is a quicker version of «put on». For example…putting on clothing but more quickly or without care.

D) STICK UP FOR: To defend against attack or criticism

E) CHASE AFTER: To pursue with the intent to catch

Learn more with MUSICIf I were a boy I would visit the HOME PAGE (girls can too!)

Still looking? Search the site for exactly what you need using the site search box below.

Happy exploring!

Discover these Amazing ESL Materials!

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Just now, I heard a song titled ‘If I were a boy’. So, I’m just thinking which one is correct.

Either ‘was’ or ‘were’. Tell me why.

Both are correct.

If I were / I wish I were is more formal.

We usually use was in informal language.

Regards

Uhm, it should be If I ‘were’ a boy.

Indeed it is plural, and ‘i’ is singular but the Pronouns ‘you’ and ‘i’ are considered plural, so: You are beutiful, If ‘i’ were’ you, ‘you’ are the apple of my eyes, etc

hope ‘i’ helped

when should I use ‘I was’ then? little confusing.

Funny I sometimes have trouble with was or were also. Recently when I came across the problem, I used was in a different sentence and realized it didn’t sound right. Example, You was running down the road, lol…it made me see were is the correct answer.

when come singular use was

I think «I was» is wrong. You shouldn’t use ‘was’ in the pronouns ‘you’ and ‘i’.

Oh dear.

There is a LOT of misinformation in this thread.

In a simple sentence:

I was

You were

He/she/it was

We were

You all were

They were

So, in simple sentences, only «I» and «he» take «was.»

It is completely incorrect to say that «I was» is wrong!

It is completely incorrect to say that «I» is treated as a plural pronoun!

However, when you have a situation when something is not true (I am a girl, not a boy; I am poor, not rich) you use another form, called the subjunctive. In those cases, you use «were.»

If I were a boy (but I’m not), I would [whatever]

I wish I were rich (but I’m not).

I «were»

for situation that is not real or just in the dreams.

Ex: «If I were a boy…(Beyonce is a girl) or If I were rich (I’m poor).»

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