The subjunctive mood of "as if"
www.englishcafe.jp › englishcollege › etense28.2.2. The subjunctive mood of "as if" "As if" ( or "as though" ) makes the subordinate clause which uses the subjunctive mood. The meaning of time is subordinate to the verb of the main clause, that is, the past subjunctive mood expresses the same time between the two clauses, but the subjunctive past perfect expresses the anterior past to the main clause.
AS IF / AS THOUGH | Grammaring
https://www.grammaring.com/as-if-as-thoughsubjunctive IF Clauses 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.
AS IF / AS THOUGH | Grammaring
www.grammaring.com › as-if-as-thoughIF. Clauses 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.