'if' and 'whether' - always exchangeable?

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HappyHippo - 06 Dec 2003 00:35 GMT

Hi, I am a newbie here.

Are "if" and "whether" always exchangeable?

"I wonder, if he makes it in time." is the same as
"I wonder, whether he makes it in time.".

But, are there exceptions where "if" and "whether" can't be exchanged?

If so, could I get some examples please?

TIA
Hartmut from Germany

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Quentin Burward - 06 Dec 2003 01:25 GMT

HappyHippo at <NOSPAM@freenet.de> says in
<3fd12499$0$17850$9b622d9e@news.freenet.de>:

> Hi, I am a newbie here.
>
> Are "if" and "whether" always exchangeable?

They're not always interchangeable, but in the contexts where they _are_
interchangeable "whether" tends to be regarded as more formal than "if".

> "I wonder, if he makes it in time." is the same as
> "I wonder, whether he makes it in time.".

In those two statements the two main problems have nothing to do with the
eternal tussle between "if" and "whether". The main problems are the use of
the wrong verb tense and the abuse of the comma.

Native speakers of English are more likely to say

"I wonder if he'll make it in time."

or

"I wonder whether he'll make it in time."

> But, are there exceptions where "if" and "whether" can't be exchanged?

Yes.

> If so, could I get some examples please?

Here's one of the countless sentences where "whether" would be
inappropriate:

"If he makes it in time then I'll eat my hat."

And here's one of the countless sentences where "if" would be inappropriate:

"Whether or not he makes it in time is irrelevant."

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Quentin Burward

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Hartmut Mühlenbein - 07 Dec 2003 01:32 GMT

> HappyHippo at <NOSPAM@freenet.de> says in
> <3fd12499$0$17850$9b622d9e@news.freenet.de>:
[quoted text clipped - 38 lines]
> --
> Quentin Burward

Thanks for your help, Quentin.

I was imaging a situation of a guy trying to catch a bus in time.
Another guy stands at the street and watches him running towards the bus.
Would this other guy really think "...if he will make it in time" and not
"if he makes it in time"?

Hartmut

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Adrian Bailey - 07 Dec 2003 05:29 GMT

> > HappyHippo at <NOSPAM@freenet.de> says in
> > <3fd12499$0$17850$9b622d9e@news.freenet.de>:
> I was imaging a situation of a guy trying to catch a bus in time.
> Another guy stands at the street and watches him running towards the bus.
> Would this other guy really think "...if he will make it in time" and not
> "if he makes it in time"?

Correct.

Adrian

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Quentin Burward - 07 Dec 2003 06:37 GMT

Hartmut Mühlenbein at <k8t4ever@web.de> says in
<3fd28382$0$27354$9b622d9e@news.freenet.de>:

> [. . .]
>
> Thanks for your help, Quentin.

Bitte schön.

> I was imaging a situation of a guy trying to catch a bus in time. Another guy
> stands at the street and watches him running towards the bus. Would this other
> guy really think "...if he will make it in time" and not "if he makes it in
> time"?

As I tried to explain in my earlier message, the choice of verb
tense---"will make it" or "makes it"---is governed by the context.

So a simple "I wonder whether" (or "if") sentence might be . . .

"I wonder whether (or "if") he'll make it."

And a simple "if A then B" sentence might be . . .

"If he makes it then I'll eat my hat."

And a "whether or not something happens" sentence might be . . .

"Whether or not he makes it is merely a matter of time."

And an "I don't know whether" (or "if") sentence might be . . .

"I don't know whether (or "if") he'll make it."

Signature

Quentin Burward

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Einde O'Callaghan - 07 Dec 2003 08:23 GMT

>>HappyHippo at <NOSPAM@freenet.de> says in
>><3fd12499$0$17850$9b622d9e@news.freenet.de>:
[quoted text clipped - 50 lines]
> Would this other guy really think "...if he will make it in time" and not
> "if he makes it in time"?

"I wonder if he'll make it on time" or "I wonder whether he'll make it
on time". We're talking here of an indirect question, not a conditional
sentence.

Regards, Einde O'Callaghan

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Discussion Groups / ESL Teaching / December 2003

'if' and 'whether' - always exchangeable?