“If I was” is in the conditional tense, which conveys a possible scenario with a plausible speculative result. In other words, if you correctly express “if I was,” you will suggest that what follows is not impossible, even if it will not take place. There are four types of conditional sentences. The zero conditional is used for universal truths or general facts. Example: If water reaches 100°C, it boils. The first conditional is used for real and possible future events. Example: If you exercise regularly, you will feel healthier. These types of conditions are used in three types of sentences, called first, second and third conditional sentences. We use the first conditional to talk about the result of an imagined future situation, when we believe the imagined situation is quite likely: Music video by Jesse Powell performing If I. (C) 2001 Geffen Records We can as well say ‘If I was good, then select me’. Use ‘if I was’ for real situations that are in indicative mood. Used in a subjunctive mood, ‘if I were’ indicates an unreal situation. Something that can never happen. You are imagining a situation, that isn’t true yet or cannot be true. There are many different ways to express “conditional” or “hypothetical” meaning in English. One of them is to use the word “if” in the clause that expresses the condition. For example, “If it rains, we’ll cancel the picnic. If it doesn’t rain, we won’t.” Where is the if-clause (e.g. at the beginning or at the end of the conditional sentence)? There are three types of conditional sentences. 1. Form. 2. Examples (if-clause at the beginning) I will pass the exam. I would pass the exam. I would have passed the exam. Mind the comma after the if clause. 3. Examples (if-clause at the end) if I study. Linda is a psychotherapist stretched to her limits while caring for her clingy, anxious daughter, who has a pediatric feeding disorder that necessitates nightly supplemental nourishment through a feeding tube and participation in a day hospital program that Linda drives her to and from every day. We’ll forgive you for scratching your head—the if I was vs. if I were rule is a complex one. If I was and if I were are often used interchangeably, even by native English speakers. “If I was” is used to refer to things that actually happened, while “if I were” is used to refer to things that may happen. Though they may have once been totally interchangeable, they’ve developed their own meanings.