Can a grammar wizard help me?

[pat]

When I write or speak, I keep finding myself saying "If I were..." or "If he were..." Intellectually, I keep thinking those should be "was", since the verb is singular. (Interestingly enough, I am less likely to use "were" if there is a noun rather than a pronoun in the sentence.)

I'm trying to figure out why I do this. Is there some sort of, I don't know, speculative verb tense?

Comments

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

It's in the subjunctive.

Conditional, or statements contrary to fact (like "good morning"), expressing a wish or hope.

English has really odd verb structure. Very streamlined, and very complex.

TK