I have been taught to use the if I had form in conditional clauses referring to the past:
If the president had asked me, I would have told him the same thing.
As far as I can tell though, the would have construct is sometimes used in conditional clauses as well, so it wouldn't be incorrect to say:
If the president would have asked me, I would have told him the same thing.
What is the difference between the two and the proper use of the latter?
Best Answer
The first sentence is the right one. The only other correct equivalent that I know for the first one is " Had the President asked me, I would have told him the same thing".