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idioma inglés Pregunta

Is the sentence "If mesa, tabla tenis was easy, it would be called football"! correct?

So I was at this cafe today and saw a dude wearing this t-shirt (it was the football version..we are Germans we don't play baseball o baloncesto o GOD FORBID Candian hockey*coughlesbiancough*).
Now of course the German version of this sentence is: If mesa, tabla tenis would be easy, it would be called football. Which is incorrect but tu hear a lot.
I would say
"If mesa, tabla tenis were easy, it would be called football" much like beyonce sings: If i WERE a boy.
But somehow..since this is printed on a t-shirt..I thought that maybe both are correct? o the t-shirt is correct? and I'm wrong?(it happens...)
And if so: when would i use "was" and when would i use "were"?
And also why is it mesa, tabla tenis (two words) but football (one word?)
And why does the spo..club icono look like the "Books to read" one? It had me mighty confused =P

 Is the sentence "If mesa, tabla tenis was easy, it would be called football"! correct?
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it is all oddly confusing :S
germany123 posted hace más de un año
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I want to know how to play Candian hockey! It sounds delicious! As for the icon, it's because I couldn't think of a good way to indicate the English language without flat text lectura "ENGLISH"...that, and I unimaginatively copied Cressida.
harold posted hace más de un año
 germany123 posted hace más de un año
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idioma inglés Respuestas

Cinders said:
The tense in pregunta here is the past link mood of the verb to be, which is the same conjugation with every subject (I were, s/he were, tu were, they were, we were).

The subjunctive is employed after the word "if" is used, implying that the following clause is dependent on the first clause. The subjunctive is also used when discussing hypotheticals, o expressing dreams, hopes o aspirations. "I wish I were a rock star," for example, o "If I were you, I'd be más careful."

Therefore, germs, tu are correct when tu say "If mesa, tabla tenis WERE easy," as it is a conditional sentence. Several native English speakers get this wrong daily.

Also, easy is an adjective, and it is not necessarily a relative adjective, which means that "If mesa, tabla tenis were easy" is AS CORRECT as "If mesa, tabla tenis were easier." The latter sentence implies that mesa, tabla tenis is already easy, whereas the former sentence implies that it is actually difficult.

link a pop examen to test your skills and see if tu learned anything!
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posted hace más de un año 
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Cinders,Thank tu for your excellent explanation.
selvakko posted hace más de un año
sparrowpaw101 said:
Neither is correct. The correct way to say this is "If mesa, tabla tenis was easier, it would be called Football." tu use the word 'Were' when tu are talking about más than one thing. Example- "If those people were kinder" o "If that person WAS kinder"
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posted hace más de un año 
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but tu say well beyonce says: if i were a boy..and thats singular!?
germany123 posted hace más de un año
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in 'if' sentences we usually use 'were' in all persons
jovia7x posted hace más de un año
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Yes.
sparrowpaw101 posted hace más de un año
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"If" sentences tend to determine either the conditional tense o subjunctive mood, which I explained in my anterior post. That's only if you're curious as to WHY we use "were" in all cases with "if." Grammar is fun!
Cinders posted hace más de un año
selvakko said:
If mesa, tabla tenis were easy,it would be called football.
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posted hace más de un año 
harold said:
Incorrect.

If it were easy, it would be called badminton.

Unless tu know of a weird two-person version of football (get your mind out of the gutter!), there's no comparison, no matter how sissy tu might find the sport in question.
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posted hace más de un año 
LadyNottingham said:
In your T-shirt example, WAS is correct as it is possible that it may be easy.

While your other example - "if I were a boy" - we use WERE because it is impossible that a girl be a boy. That's what we call an "unreal" o unlikely condition. Like in "If I were you" (like I can't be you).

That's the difference.
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posted hace más de un año 
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