Were I you, ... / Had I known, ... (formal if) (B2 Grammar)

In formal English, you can drop if and start with Were instead. If I were ... becomes Were I ..., for something imagined that isn't real now.

Drop the if, start with Were

• If I were in your position, I would accept. → Were I in your position, I would accept.
• If she were here, she would help. → Were she here, she would help.
• If it were not for you, I'd be lost. → Were it not for you, I'd be lost.
• Not "Were I would be rich, I would travel." — say "Were I rich, I would travel.". After Were I, don't add "would": Were I rich, not "Were I would be rich".
• Try it: If I were the manager, I would change the rules. Make the formal version. Drop the if and start with Were. (Leave out the word you don't need.) Answer: Were I the manager, I would change the rules. — The formal version drops if and starts with Were: Were I the manager, I would change the rules. "If I were" is the everyday version you're replacing, so leave it out. Were I ... is the same meaning, more formal.

For an imagined past, start with Had

For an imagined past (it didn't happen), drop if and start with Had. If I had ... becomes Had I ....

• If I had known earlier, I would have told you. → Had I known earlier, I would have told you.
• If she had studied harder, she would have passed. → Had she studied harder, she would have passed.
• If it had not rained, we would have gone. → Had it not rained, we would have gone.
• Not "Had I would have known, I would have told you." — say "Had I known, I would have told you.". After Had I, use the past participle: Had I known, not "Had I would have known".
• Try it: If we had left on time, we wouldn't have missed it. Make the formal version of the imagined past. Start with Had. (Leave out the word you don't need.) Answer: Had we left on time, we wouldn't have missed it. — For the imagined past, drop if and start with Had: Had we left on time, we wouldn't have missed it. "If we had" is the everyday version, so leave it out. Had we ... carries the same meaning, more formally.

For a real future, start with Should

For a real but less likely future — something that might happen — drop the if and put Should first, then the person + the base verb. So "... should need ..." becomes Should you need .... This sounds formal and polite, and is common in offers and instructions.

• If you need any help, please call me. → Should you need any help, please call me.
• If you have any questions, contact us. → Should you have any questions, contact us.
• If anything goes wrong, we'll refund you. → Should anything go wrong, we'll refund you.
• Not "Should you to need help, call me." — say "Should you need help, call me.". After Should you, use the base verb: Should you need, not "Should you to need".
• Try it: If you need any help, please call me. Make the formal, polite version for a real future. Start with Should. (Leave out the word you don't need.) Answer: Should you need any help, please call me. — For a polite, formal real-future offer, start with Should + the base verb: Should you need any help, please call me. "If you should" is the longer everyday version, so leave it out. Should you ... sounds formal and polite.