When forming a conditional clause with "if", when should I choose "if I am", instead of "if I were" or "if I was"?
I think was is never correct, but may be acceptable for informal use.
I'm writing a song lyric:
If, after life, I satisfy myself for feeling more alive,
will I still feel alive as if I'm breathing?"
Am I correct for choosing "as if I am"? Would "as if I were breathing" be better?
I am
I am ten pounds heavier now.
you are something now
I were
If I Were A Rich Man
if you were hypothetically something
I was
I was 10 pounds lighter in my twenties.
you were something in the past
For your lyrics
as if I was breathing
as if I were breathing
could both be used depending on what you are trying to say.
"as if I am" doesn't make sense. You either are or pretend to be.
The correct way to construct a hypothetical phrase is to use "as if I were"
Another possible way is "like if I were". I also rarely came across "as though I were".
