Learn English – If I were you I would tell them it was or is true

subjunctivestense

If I were you, I would tell them (that it is not true.)

The bracket portion should it be in "Past" or "Present"? I am confused because we are using "Past" for the rest of the sentence.

If I were you, I would tell them that (it was not true.)

Best Answer

The two parts of the sentence are independent; the choice of "is" or "was" depends entirely on the tense of what "it" is referring to. You could actually argue about whether "were" should better be "was".

The first part of the sentence means either "If I was in your place" or even literally "If I had been born you". The sense of that condition already existing means that the "transition" of who is who already took place, so that part of the sentence is past tense.

"I would tell them" means that telling hasn't happened yet. Which brings us to what needs to be told.

The "what" that needs to be told is whatever it is. If "what" refers to something in the past, it would be "that it was not true". If it refers to something where the present condition of truthfulness is what's relevant, it would be "that it is not true". For that matter, it could be about something for which the relevance of truthfulness refers to a future time, in which case you could say, "that it will not be true".

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