What's new on IELTS with Fiona

Look at these comments I heard while I was watching the World Cup yesterday.

What does 'whether it be' mean?

"A point is a point, whether it be a 3-3 or 0-0 game."

"For someone to make such an effort, whether it be gifts, whether it be just a message, whether it be the flags or just the support… without them, without the fans, we wouldn't be here."

When I checked for more examples on Ludwig.guru, a lot of them came from sports contexts:

"From a young age I've had to cope with a lot and I've still come through it. Whether it be injuries, whether it be rehabs, whether it be taking drugs years ago." [Footballer, Paul Gasgoine]

"I just like having a good time. Whether it be a tense moment, whether it be on the court, I'm always joking."

"He's done a great job. Whether it be his rookie year or last year, he's won games for us."

Also look at this in an IELTS-related context:

"We've offered financial support for a range of renewable energy sources whether it be large-scale solar, whether it be geothermal, whether it be wave power or wind power".

MEANING

"whether it be" is used to suggest that the speaker is uncertain or doesn't care about the 'conditions' (the options, the choices).

It's a bit like saying "it's not important/it doesn't matter if it's this thing or that thing" (there's no bias in favour of one or the other).

GRAMMAR

The strange use of 'be' is the subjunctive, which is not used much in English (e.g. If I WERE you).

You can usually replace the expression with: "whether it IS".

e.g. "I like any type of chocolate, whether it be/is plain, dark or milk'.

'be it'

This is a more formal version of 'whether it be'.

e.g. "I like any type of chocolate, be it plain, dark, or milk'.