Bill Situ
English and ESL Instructor
In the simple past tense, the verb "be" would be as follows:
I was
You were
He/she/it was
We were
They were
However, when we use the expression if, we would always conjugate the verb be as were, no matter the subject:
If I were
If he/she/it were
As such, If I were is always the proper grammatical expression:
If it was not for Christina's help, I would not have successfully run the event. (Incorrect)
If it were not for Christina's help, I would not have successfully run the event. (Correct)
I was
You were
He/she/it was
We were
They were
However, when we use the expression if, we would always conjugate the verb be as were, no matter the subject:
If I were
If he/she/it were
As such, If I were is always the proper grammatical expression:
If it was not for Christina's help, I would not have successfully run the event. (Incorrect)
If it were not for Christina's help, I would not have successfully run the event. (Correct)