Lesson 107 · Stage 9: Linking ideas
“As if / as though”
IntermediateForm & use
as if / as though + clause — how something seems
1.Form
As if and as though mean the same: “in a way that suggests”. They are followed by a full clause (subject + verb). As though sounds a little more formal.
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| look / sound / feel / smell / taste + as if + clause | You look as if you need a coffee. |
| It looks / sounds / seems / feels + as if + clause | It sounds as if they're having a party. |
| action verb + as if + clause | He talks as if he knows everything. |
| as if + to-infinitive / -ing (short form) | She nodded as if to say yes. |
| like + clause (informal speech) | It looks like it's going to rain. |
2.When to use it
1. Saying how someone or something looks, sounds or feels — from what you can see or hear
You look as if you haven't slept at all.
This bread smells as though it's just come out of the oven.
My legs feel as if they're made of stone.
2. It looks / sounds / seems as if… — guessing what is happening
It looks as if the shop is closed today.
It seems as though nobody read my email.
3. Describing the way someone does something
Mai walked past me as though she didn't know me.
He's eating as if he hasn't eaten for days.
4. Short forms: as if + to-infinitive / -ing
He opened his mouth as if to say something, then stopped.
She kept looking at the door as if expecting someone.
5. It's not as if… = it isn't true that… (brushing a reason aside)
Take your time. It's not as if we're in a hurry.
3.Real or unreal: which tense after as if
If the idea after as if may be true, use the normal tense for the real time. If it is clearly not true, you can move the tense one step back (as in second conditionals and wishes) to show it is unreal.
| Situation | Tense after as if | Example |
|---|---|---|
| may be true, now | present | He looks as if he's ill. |
| may be true, happened just before | present perfect | You look as if you've just woken up. |
| not true, now | past simple (were / was) | He talks as if he were the boss. |
| main verb in the past | backshift: past / past perfect | He looked as if he hadn't slept. |
She talks about London as if she lived there, but she's never been.
not true → past
My grandpa dances as if he were twenty again.
The kitchen looked as though a storm had passed through it.
past main verb, earlier event → had + past participle
- Were or was? After as if, were for all subjects sounds more formal; was is very common in speech. Both are correct.
- Backshifting is not required: He talks as if he owns the place is also correct and very natural, even when it isn't true.
Many learners keep the same tense everywhere. When the main verb is past (looked, seemed, acted…), remember to backshift after as if: He looked as if he had been crying (not: has been crying).
4.As if, like or as?
| Followed by | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| noun / pronoun | like | That cloud looks like a rabbit. |
| clause | as if / as though (informal: like) | It looks as if it's going to snow. |
| a real role or job | as | She works as a nurse. |
As on its own does not mean “as if”, and don't combine like with as if. In speech, like + clause instead of as if is very common (He acts like he owns the place), but use as if in formal writing. See also the lesson “Like vs as”.
“As if!” on its own is an informal exclamation meaning “No way, that will never happen”: Do you think he'll say sorry? — As if!
5.Common mistakes
He talks like as if he knows everything.He talks as if he knows everything.
Don't put like and as if together.
It looks as it's going to rain.It looks as if it's going to rain.
As alone doesn't mean “as if”.
She looks as if a model.She looks like a model.
Before a noun use like; as if needs a clause.
He looked as if he has been crying.He looked as if he had been crying.
Past main verb → backshift.
My cat acts as if he be the king of the house.My cat acts as if he were the king of the house.
As if needs a full verb form (were / was / is).
He raised his hand as if ask a question.He raised his hand as if to ask a question.
Short form: as if + to-infinitive.
Examples
- He talks as if he knows everything, but he's only been here a week.
- This soup tastes as if someone has put a whole bag of salt in it.
- It feels as if this summer will never end.
- Listen to that thunder! It sounds as if a storm is coming.
