Were I you / Had I known (inversion)
Were I you / Had I known (inversion) means “Inverted conditionals: dropping if and putting were or had first — a formal alternative to an if-clause”. In formal English we can omit if and invert the subject and auxiliary. Formation: Were + subject + ... / Had + subject + past participle, ...
Inverted conditionals: dropping if and putting were or had first — a formal alternative to an if-clause
C2Formation
Were + subject + ... / Had + subject + past participle, ...
Explanation
In formal English we can omit if and invert the subject and auxiliary. For the second conditional, Were I in your place means If I were in your place. For the third conditional, Had I known means If I had known: Had I known, I would have come. This only works with were, had and should — you cannot invert other verbs. The style is formal and often found in writing or careful speech.
Examples
Note
The negative is not contracted after inversion: say Had I not seen it, not Hadn't I seen it (which would be a question).
FAQ
Were I you / Had I known (inversion) — what does it mean and how is it used?
Inverted conditionals: dropping if and putting were or had first — a formal alternative to an if-clause. In formal English we can omit if and invert the subject and auxiliary. For the second conditional, Were I in your place means If I were in your place. For the third conditional, Had I known means If I had known: Had I known, I would have come. This only works with were, had and should — you cannot invert other verbs. The style is formal and often found in writing or careful speech.
Were I you / Had I known (inversion) — how do you form it?
Were + subject + ... / Had + subject + past participle, ...
Were I you / Had I known (inversion) — any usage notes?
The negative is not contracted after inversion: say Had I not seen it, not Hadn't I seen it (which would be a question).