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Originally Posted by irmamar
We have a duty to report this whether he be a parishioner or not.
Is 'to be' used here to express subjunctive? What do you think about its formality? Maybe it's used in certain languages, such as the literary one, isn't it?
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That's a subjunctive and a very formal sentence.
Quote:
Is 'whether' used instead of 'if' to express more formality. I always use 'if', but I don't know if 'whether' is more formal or not. 
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They're not always interchangeable.
Ask him whether he likes peas.
(formal or informal)
Ask him if he likes peas.
(slightly informal)
Whether he likes peas is irrelevant.
*If he likes peas is irrelevant.
*Whether he comes I'll make pea soup.
If he comes I'll make pea soup.
Whether or not he comes I'll make pea soup.
Whether he comes or not I'll make pea soup.
*If or not he comes I'll make pea soup.
*If he comes or not I'll make pea soup.
(sounds strange but I'm not sure it's wrong)
"Whether or not" isn't formal. Using it with a subjunctive is (when grammatical). I'm not sure "whether or not" + subjunctive is ever grammatical except with "to be". If I put the subjunctive into my example:
*Whether or not he come I'll make pea soup.
Quote:
Does 'to get a flat' mean 'pinchar una rueda'?
What is a 'donut shop'?
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Yes.
Rosquillería.