AS IF / AS THOUGH | Grammaring
https://www.grammaring.com/as-if-as-thoughClauses that start with as if / as though describe an unreal or improbable situation if they are followed by an unreal tense (the past subjunctive or the past perfect subjunctive). Otherwise, they express that the statement is true. The past subjunctive after as if / as though indicates an unreal situation in the present. However, if the situation is true, we use a real tense to express ...