if と whether はたいてい置き換え可能ですが、whether しか使えない場合があるという記事を見ました。
https://shinuwakaeng.com/whether-or-if
私はそれらについて、whether を使わずに同じ意味を表すことができないか、試してみて、Native speaker の方に見てもらいました。
https://lang-8.com/43673/journals/22893305885130653037319...
(Lang-8にログインしないと見られません)
Lang-8のアカウントを持っていない方のために、以下にまとめます。
a の文は上記の記事にwhether しか使えない(if に置き換えできない)例として上がっていたもので、b は私が書き換えてみたものです。
答えてくださったのは、
Aさん(アメリカ人)、
Mさん(カナダ人)です。
#1a: Whether he will come is not certain.
(彼が来るかどうかは、確かではない) Mさん:"if" would also be okay, although less common.
#1b: It’s not certain if he will come.
Mさん:"whether" would also be fine, no difference
#2a: The problem is whether he will come.(問題は、彼が来るかどうかということだ) Mさん:"if" would also be fine, no difference
#2b: Will he come? That is the problem.
#3a: I am worried about whether he will come.(わたしは、彼が来るかどうか心配している) Mさん:"if" would also be okay, especially if you add "even" (i.e., "I'm worried about if he'll even come")
#3b: I’m worried that he will come.
#4a: I have the question whether he knows the secret.(わたしは、彼がその秘密を知っているのかどうかという疑問を持っている) Mさん:"if" would also be fine, although less natural Aさん:#4a: I wonder whether he knows the secret.
※"I have the question" is very unclear/unnatural
#4b: I’m wondering if he knows the secret.
Mさん:In this case, "I wonder" is better because this presumably IS a rhetorical question that you don't expect the listener to know the answer to.
Also, "whether" would work fine here, no difference
#5a: I don’t know whether to go or not.
(わたしは、行くべきかどうかわからない) Mさん:"if" doesn't work here
#5b: I don’t know if I should go or not. Mさん:"whether" would be fine here
Aさんのコメント:Both "if" and "whether" are extremely common, fundamental vocabulary. You need to be able to use both in order to be a proficient English speaker.
And yes, most of the examples have similar, if not identical, meanings.
However, "I am worried about whether he will come" and "I'm worried that he will come" have different meanings. The latter implies that you don't want him to come while the former does not.
Mさんのコメント:They're almost always interchangeable. "Whether" is the TECHNICALLY (or originally) correct word, but "if" kind of took over and is just as natural now, if not more natural. If you were writing an academic paper or something, you would definitely want to use "whether," but in casual conversation, either is generally fine.
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