👀 Show the answers
1 → were · 2 → drink · 3 → had
Did at least one of those feel wrong? That's the surprising part: two of the three correct answers "sound off" to a lot of people — even to fluent speakers. Keep reading and you'll find out exactly why they're right, when the "wrong-sounding" versions are actually fine, and how to choose the correct one with confidence every single time.
Here's the strange truth about the subjunctive mood: you already use it. Every time you say "If I were you…", you're using a grammar form that goes back to the earliest English — and it's the very reason some perfectly educated people write "I suggest that he goes" in a formal email and quietly get corrected. It sits behind job-application letters, contracts, exam essays, and some of the most quoted lines in the language. Yet almost nobody is ever taught it clearly.
The idea in one line: every sentence secretly tells the listener how "real" it is — "this is a fact," "do this," or "this isn't real, but imagine it." That third category is the subjunctive. Once you see that, the "weird" verb forms stop being weird.
- Explain why "If I were you" is correct — and when "if I was" is fine too
- Use the demand form correctly: "I suggest that he go", "It is vital that she be here"
- Build wishes and regrets: "I wish I were…", "I wish I had known…"
- Recognise frozen phrases like "be that as it may" and "come what may"
- Avoid the 7 mistakes that give learners away in formal writing
The subjunctive mood expresses things that are
not facts: wishes, imaginary situations, demands, and
suggestions. It appears in three main forms:
1. were for imaginary situations —
"If I were you…"
2. the plain base verb after demands —
"I suggest that he go."
3. frozen expressions —
"Be that as it may."
What Is the Subjunctive Mood? (Reality vs. Imagination)
In grammar, mood is the attitude a verb expresses toward reality. English has three main moods, and the subjunctive is the one that steps away from facts.
She is late.
He works here.
Be on time.
Close the door.
If I were you…
I insist that she be on time.
Notice something odd in that last card: "she be on time" — not "she is." That's the subjunctive at work, and it's exactly the kind of form that makes it feel strange. (It's also the one place where a third-person singular verb has no -s and breaks the normal subject-verb agreement rules — on purpose.)
The "Were" Subjunctive: Why "If I Were You" Is Correct
When you talk about something imaginary, unreal, or contrary to fact in the present or future, English uses were with every subject — I, he, she, it, we, you, they — even though was would normally go with I/he/she/it.
- If I were you, I'd apologize. (I'm not you)
- If she were here, she'd help us. (she isn't here)
- If it were cheaper, I'd buy it. (it isn't cheaper)
- If we were rich, we'd travel the world. (we aren't rich)
That's why "If I were you" is correct: you are not the other person, so the situation is imaginary. It's the same reason the classic song title says "If I Were a Rich Man" — nobody is claiming to be rich.
Real possibility vs. imagined situation
This is the single most useful distinction. Was isn't always wrong — it's correct when the situation might genuinely be true. Use were only when it's imaginary.
If she was at home, she didn't answer.
If I was rude yesterday, I'm sorry.
If she were at home, she would answer. (she isn't)
If I were taller, I'd play basketball. (I'm not)
Wishes and regrets: wish / if only
After wish and if only, the verb "steps back" one tense to show the wish is not reality.
| What you're expressing | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A present situation you'd like to change | wish + past simple / were | I wish I were taller. I wish I had a car. |
| A regret about the past | wish + past perfect | I wish I had studied harder. If only she had called. |
| Annoyance or a wish for someone else's behaviour to change | wish + would | I wish it would stop raining. I wish you would listen. |
One catch: you can't use wish + would about your own deliberate actions — "I wish I would go" is wrong. Use "I wish I could go" instead.
As if / as though
When the comparison is untrue, use the subjunctive. When it might be true, the normal indicative is fine.
- He talks as if he were the boss. (he isn't)
- She looks as though she had seen a ghost. (she hasn't)
- It looks as if it is going to rain. (a real possibility — indicative)
Would rather, it's time, suppose
- I'd rather you didn't tell anyone. (a preference about someone else — past form for present meaning)
- It's high time we left. (we should be leaving now)
- Suppose you were the manager. What would you do?
- What if he were telling the truth?
The formal shortcut: dropping "if"
In formal writing, "If I were you" can become "Were I you", and "If I had known" becomes "Had I known." This is called inversion, and it's covered in full in our guide to inversion in English grammar.
The Demand Subjunctive: "I Suggest That He Go"
This second type is the one people find truly odd, because it removes the verb ending you'd normally expect. After words that express a demand, recommendation, suggestion, or necessity, the verb in the that-clause is the plain base form — for every subject.
- I suggest that he go home. (not "goes")
- The teacher demanded that every student be silent. (not "is" / "was")
- It is essential that she arrive on time. (not "arrives")
- We recommend that you see a specialist.
- The court ordered that he pay the fine.
Which words trigger it?
Words like want, hope, and expect do not trigger this pattern — you say "I want him to go," not "I want that he go."
Negatives and passives
- Negative: put not directly before the base verb — no do/does/did: "I recommend that he not go alone." "The rules require that employees not use phones."
- Passive: use be + past participle: "It is essential that the form be submitted by Friday."
American vs. British usage
All three of these are understood, but the base form is the most formal and is standard in American English. British English often prefers should.
| Style | Example | Where it's common |
|---|---|---|
| Subjunctive (base form) | I suggest that he go. | American English; formal writing everywhere |
| should + base verb | I suggest that he should go. | British English; less formal |
| Ordinary indicative | I suggest that he goes. | Casual speech (avoid in formal writing) |
The double-meaning trap: insist and suggest
Insist and suggest only trigger the subjunctive when they mean demand/propose. When they mean claim/indicate a fact, the verb stays in its normal form — and the meaning changes.
She insisted that he go. (she demanded it)
I suggest that he be present. (I propose it)
She insisted that he was wrong. (she claimed it's true)
The data suggests that he is guilty. (it indicates it)
Frozen Subjunctive Expressions
A third group are fixed phrases that preserved the old subjunctive and never changed. You don't build these — you just recognise and use them.
| Expression | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Be that as it may | even so; despite that | Be that as it may, we must finish today. |
| Come what may | whatever happens | Come what may, I'll support you. |
| So be it | I accept it, let it happen | If they refuse, so be it. |
| Suffice it to say | I'll just say briefly | Suffice it to say, it didn't go well. |
| Truth be told | to be honest | Truth be told, I forgot. |
| If need be | if it is necessary | We'll stay late if need be. |
| Heaven forbid | I hope it never happens | Heaven forbid he should get hurt. |
| Far be it from me | I would never presume | Far be it from me to judge. |
| as it were | so to speak | He is, as it were, the heart of the team. |
| Long live… | may it live long | Long live the champion! |
All Subjunctive Forms in One Table
| Type | Form | Triggered by | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Were" subjunctive | were for all subjects | unreal if, wish, if only, as if, suppose | If I were you… |
| Past-perfect (regret) | had + past participle | wish, if only, unreal past if | I wish I had known. |
| Demand subjunctive | base verb, all subjects | insist, suggest, recommend, essential… | I suggest that he go. |
| Frozen expressions | fixed forms | set phrases | Be that as it may… |
Where You'll Actually Use It
The subjunctive isn't a museum piece. Here is where it shows up in everyday life:
- Business emails: "We recommend that you review the attached contract before Friday."
- Contracts and rules: "It is required that each tenant vacate the premises by the last day of the month."
- News reports: "The committee recommended that the plan be approved."
- Exams and essays (IELTS, TOEFL, university): "It is imperative that governments take action."
- Daily conversation: "If I were you, I'd wait." — "I wish I could help."
❌ "If I would have known, I'd have called."
✅ "If I had known, I would have called."
(would have belongs in the result part, never the if-part)
❌ "I wish I would have gone."
✅ "I wish I had gone."
❌ "I suggest that he goes." (formal writing)
✅ "I suggest that he go."
❌ "It is essential that she is on time."
✅ "It is essential that she be on time."
❌ "He insisted that she doesn't attend." (as a demand)
✅ "He insisted that she not attend."
(no do-support in the subjunctive)
❌ "If I was you, I'd leave." (formal writing)
✅ "If I were you, I'd leave."
(was is common in casual speech, but were is the standard)
❌ "He acts as if he was the owner." (he isn't)
✅ "He acts as if he were the owner."
Practice: Choose the Correct Form
- "If I ______ (be) you, I'd apologize." → were
- "I wish she ______ (be) here right now." → were
- "The judge ordered that the defendant ______ (pay) the fine." → pay
- "It is vital that every student ______ (be) present." → be
- "The manager insisted that he ______ (not / leave) early." → not leave
- "I wish I ______ (study) harder last year." → had studied
- "He acts as if he ______ (own) the place." → owned (or were the owner)
- Fix: "If I would have known, I'd have called." → If I had known, I would have called.
- Fix: "The doctor recommended that she takes a break." → …that she take a break.
- Choose: "The report suggests that sales ______ (are / be) falling." → are (suggests = indicates a fact)
- Rewrite with inversion: "If I were you, I'd wait." → Were I you, I'd wait.
- Choose: "I'd rather you ______ (don't / didn't) tell anyone." → didn't
Frequently Asked Questions
It's the verb form used for things that aren't real facts — wishes, imaginary situations, demands, and suggestions — as in "If I were you" or "I suggest that he go."
Because the situation is imaginary — you aren't the other person. English uses "were" with every subject in unreal situations, so "If I were you" is the correct formal form. "If I was you" is common in casual speech but is considered incorrect in formal writing.
No. "Was" is correct when the situation is a real possibility: "If I was rude to you yesterday, I apologize." Use "were" when it's imaginary or contrary to fact: "If I were taller, I'd play basketball."
After words expressing a demand, recommendation, or necessity, the subjunctive uses the base verb for every subject, with no -s. British English often uses "should" instead: "I suggest that he should go."
Yes — in fixed phrases like "if I were you" and "be that as it may," and in formal writing, contracts, business communication, and exams.
"If I had known" is correct. "If I would have known" is a very common mistake — "would have" belongs in the result clause: "If I had known, I would have called."
Summary
- The subjunctive mood expresses what is not fact: imagined situations, wishes, demands, and suggestions.
- Were is used for every subject in imaginary situations: If I were you… Use was only when the situation could really be true.
- Wishes step back a tense: wish + past/were (present), wish + had + participle (regret), wish + would (annoyance).
- After demand words (insist, suggest, recommend, essential, vital…), use the base verb for all subjects: I suggest that he go.
- Negatives use not + base verb — no do/does/did.
- Insist and suggest only trigger it when they mean "demand" or "propose," not "claim" or "indicate."
- Never say "if I would have" or "I wish I would have" — use had.
- Frozen phrases (be that as it may, come what may, so be it) are subjunctive fossils — learn them as fixed units.