whether
- 01 B1 Intermediate
you use this to show a choice between two or more possibilities, often with the word 'or'.
introduces an indirect question or a clause expressing doubt between alternatives, typically followed by 'or' or 'or not'.
Simple“I am not sure whether I should call him now or wait until tomorrow.”
In context“The board remains undecided as to whether the proposed merger will yield long-term benefits for the shareholders.”
UsageOften interchangeable with 'if' in indirect questions, though 'whether' is preferred in formal writing and when followed immediately by 'or not'.
PitfallI don't know weather it will rain. I don't know whether it will rain.Do not confuse 'whether' with 'weather' (the climate/temperature).
Synonyms - 02 B1 Intermediate
used to say that something is true in any of the cases you mention.
introduces a disjunctive adverbial clause indicating that the main clause remains true regardless of which alternative is chosen.
Simple“We are going for a walk whether it rains or not.”
In context“The regulations apply to all employees, whether they are working full-time or on a temporary contract.”
UsageIn this sense, 'whether' cannot be replaced by 'if' because it functions as a conditional adverbial rather than a noun clause.
Synonymsregardless of ifno matter if
From Middle English whether, whather, from Old English hweþer, hwæþer, from Proto-West Germanic hwaþar, from Proto-Germanic hwaþeraz, comparative form of *hwaz (“who”). Cognate with North Frisian weđer (“if, whether”), German weder (“neither”), Swedish var (“each, every”), Icelandic hvor (“each of two, which of two”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.