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Is the sentence "If table, tableau tennis was easy, it would be called football"! correct?

So I was at this cafe today and saw a dude wearing this t-shirt (it was the football version..we are Germans we don't play baseball ou basketball, basket-ball ou GOD FORBID Candian hockey*coughlesbiancough*).
Now of course the German version of this sentence is: If table, tableau tennis would be easy, it would be called football. Which is incorrect but toi hear a lot.
I would say
"If table, tableau tennis were easy, it would be called football" much like Beyoncé sings: If i WERE a boy.
But somehow..since this is printed on a t-shirt..I thought that maybe both are correct? ou the t-shirt is correct? and I'm wrong?(it happens...)
And if so: when would i use "was" and when would i use "were"?
And also why is it table, tableau tennis (two words) but football (one word?)
And why does the spo..club icone look like the "Books to read" one? It had me mighty confused =P

Is the sentence "If table, tableau tennis was easy, it would be called football"! correct?
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it is all oddly confusing :S
germany123 posted il y a plus d’un an
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I want to know how to play Candian hockey! It sounds delicious! As for the icon, it's because I couldn't think of a good way to indicate the English language without flat text lire "ENGLISH"...that, and I unimaginatively copied Cressida.
harold posted il y a plus d’un an
 germany123 posted il y a plus d’un an
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la langue anglaise Réponses

Cinders said:
The tense in question here is the past link mood of the verb to be, which is the same conjugation with every subject (I were, s/he were, toi were, they were, we were).

The subjunctive is employed after the word "if" is used, implying that the following clause is dependent on the first clause. The subjunctive is also used when discussing hypotheticals, ou expressing dreams, hopes ou aspirations. "I wish I were a rock star," for example, ou "If I were you, I'd be plus careful."

Therefore, germs, toi are correct when toi say "If table, tableau tennis WERE easy," as it is a conditional sentence. Several native English speakers get this wrong daily.

Also, easy is an adjective, and it is not necessarily a relative adjective, which means that "If table, tableau tennis were easy" is AS CORRECT as "If table, tableau tennis were easier." The latter sentence implies that table, tableau tennis is already easy, whereas the former sentence implies that it is actually difficult.

link a pop quizz to test your skills and see if toi learned anything!
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posted il y a plus d’un an 
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Cinders,Thank toi for your excellent explanation.
selvakko posted il y a plus d’un an
sparrowpaw101 said:
Neither is correct. The correct way to say this is "If table, tableau tennis was easier, it would be called Football." toi use the word 'Were' when toi are talking about plus than one thing. Example- "If those people were kinder" ou "If that person WAS kinder"
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posted il y a plus d’un an 
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but toi say well Beyoncé says: if i were a boy..and thats singular!?
germany123 posted il y a plus d’un an
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in 'if' sentences we usually use 'were' in all persons
jovia7x posted il y a plus d’un an
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Yes.
sparrowpaw101 posted il y a plus d’un an
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"If" sentences tend to determine either the conditional tense ou subjunctive mood, which I explained in my précédant post. That's only if you're curious as to WHY we use "were" in all cases with "if." Grammar is fun!
Cinders posted il y a plus d’un an
selvakko said:
If table, tableau tennis were easy,it would be called football.
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posted il y a plus d’un an 
harold said:
Incorrect.

If it were easy, it would be called badminton.

Unless toi know of a weird two-person version of football (get your mind out of the gutter!), there's no comparison, no matter how sissy toi might find the sport in question.
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posted il y a plus d’un an 
LadyNottingham said:
In your T-shirt example, WAS is correct as it is possible that it may be easy.

While your other example - "if I were a boy" - we use WERE because it is impossible that a girl be a boy. That's what we call an "unreal" ou unlikely condition. Like in "If I were you" (like I can't be you).

That's the difference.
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posted il y a plus d’un an 
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