Please do not translate the expression “If I were you…” into Russian literally and do not say “Если бы я был тобой, я бы…”. It sounds unnatural and strange. Instead, you can use a translation of another English expression: “На твоём месте я бы…” (= “In your place, I would…”). This is a shorter version of the conditional sentence (“Если бы я был на твоем месте, я бы…”), which has become a set expression.
Of course, depending on the context, the form of the possessive pronoun can change or even be replaced by a noun in the genitive case: на вашем месте, на его месте, на месте Ивана, на месте сестры…
Check some examples below and use the expressions correctly!
- На твоём месте я бы не звонил им ночью. = If I were you, I wouldn’t call them at night.
- На её месте я бы попробовала ещё раз. = If I were her, I’d try again.
- На месте Маши я бы сначала посоветовалась с коллегами. = If I were Masha, I would first consult with colleagues.
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