whatever we had vs whatever it was we had

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in slightly different contexts. 'Whatever we had' is a more concise and common expression, while 'whatever it was we had' is a bit more formal and emphasizes the past action. The choice between them depends on the level of formality and emphasis you want to convey.

Last updated: March 20, 2024 • 3072 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"whatever we had "

This phrase is used to refer to something that existed or occurred in the past without specifying the exact nature of it.

Examples:

I miss whatever we had before things got complicated.
Let's try to rebuild whatever we had together.
I cherish whatever we had, even if it's just memories now.

Show examples from the web [+]

Sep 27, 2012 ... Barry White- "Whatever We Had, We Had".wmv. Bad14v. SubscribeSubscribed Unsubscribe 4,0954K. Loading... Loading... Working... Add to ...
Dec 21, 2013 ... Barry White - Whatever We Had, We Had. Béqa Mgaloblishvilí. Subscribe SubscribedUnsubscribe 985985. Loading... Loading... Working.
Mar 14, 2012 ... ... Everything - Lyrics. by Oz Lotem. 4:35. Play next; Play now. Barry White - Whatever we had we had lyrics перевод. by Andranik Hayrapetyan.
Nov 3, 2013 ... Barry White ~ " Whatever We Had We Had " ~ ♥. Repost Like. StrictlyMuzik. by StrictlyMuzik. Follow 674. 4 174 views. Tweet. 2 comments.

Alternatives:

whatever it was we had
whatever we once had
whatever we used to have
whatever we shared
whatever we possessed

This phrase is correct but slightly more formal and emphasizes the past action.

"whatever it was we had "

This phrase is used to refer to something that existed or occurred in the past, with a bit more emphasis on the specific nature of it.

Examples:

I can't forget whatever it was we had, it was special.
Do you remember whatever it was we had in common?
I wish I could understand whatever it was we had together.

Show examples from the web [+]

Nov 10, 2015 ... Maybe we let too many obstacles get in the way. Whatever it was, we had wasted way too much time, which is what I was going to put a stop to.
Feb 5, 2016 ... We often pay interest for things we want right now, yet as it turns out, we probably could have waited for whatever it was we HAD to have until ...
The more loss we feel, the more grateful we should be for whatever it was we had to lose. It means that we had something worth grieving for. The ones I'm sorry ...
And, sure enough, at 10 o'clock those mothers came parading in to eat whatever it was we had agreed to serve them. To my 14-year old eyes all the ladies ...

Alternatives:

whatever we had
whatever we once had
whatever we used to have
whatever we shared
whatever we possessed

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whatever we had vs whatever it was we had

"whatever we had "

"whatever it was we had "

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