Learn English – Using the word “whether” in conditional statements

conditional-constructionsconjunctionslogicword-usage

  • You can not open your webpage if you don't have a web browser.
  • You can not open your webpage whether you have a web browser or not.

In my understanding so far, the first sentence represents a condition "I can't open the webpage without a browser."

The second means the webpage can not be opened, no conditions.

Please correct me!

Best Answer

Many natives are firmly convinced that "if" and "whether" are interchangeable, which is not true. Some natives only use "if," which is wrong. Word to the wise: there are lots and lots of native English speakers out there; not all of them are geniuses. Some of them are pretty ... uh ... but I digress.

A wether is a castrated male sheep. The word you have in mind is always spelled with an "h" following the "w."

Consider the following:

The mezzo will sing if she feels up to it.

Or:

Hopefully the mezzo will sing for us tonight. Go and find out whether she feels up to it.

You can't use "whether" instead of "if" in the first example.

You could use "if" instead of "whether" in the second one, and many people would, but it doesn't sound quite right to a native ear that is genuinely attuned to the ... uh ... polyphony, for lack of a better word ... of the English language.