Justin Bieber needs to think about his use of the subjunctive mood.
An 11-year-old U.K. student wrote a very critical note to Bieber about a grammar issue in his 2012 song "Boyfriend."
In the song, Bieber tells an unnamed love interest that "if [he] was [her] boyfriend, [he'd] never let [her] go." According to the student, Bieber's verb use here is unacceptable.
"Here you have clearly used the subjunctive mood incorrectly," he wrote. "The lyrics should, in fact, be 'If I were your boyfriend.'"
The boy then cited Beyoncé as an artist who uses the subjunctive mood correctly — presumably referring to her 2008 hit "If I Were A Boy."
"If current performers such as Beyoncé can write a song using the subjunctive mood correctly, so must you," he wrote.
It's okay, Bieber — we can't all meet Queen Bey's standards.
Teacher Louise Williams posted the note to Facebook, where many commenters noted the boy's own poor grammar. Fortunately, Williams said the kid wasn't upset by the critiques.
"He wasn't too bothered," she wrote. "He was going home to play with his Lego Star Wars."
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