If it weren’t for/ If it hadn’t been for (like the second conditional)
a) If it weren’t for: refers to the present
If it weren’t for my dog, I wouldn’t go for a walk. (If I didn’t have a dog, I wouldn’t go for a walk. – means now)
If it weren’t for her children, she could stay at work longer.
b) If it hadn’t been for: refers to the past (like the third conditional)
If it hadn’t been for his help, I wouldn’t have managed it. (If he hadn’t helped me, I wouldn’t have managed it.)
If it hadn‘t been for that accident, we wouldn’t have met.
Note 1:
- If it weren’t for my dog, I wouldn’t have gone for a walk yesterday. (like the mixed conditional)
= If I didn’t have a dog (present), I wouldn’t have gone for a walk yesterday (past). - If it hadn’t been for my stupidity, we wouldn’t be in debt now.
= If I hadn’t been stupid (past), we wouldn’t be in debt now. (present)
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