"what if" meaning in All languages combined

See what if on Wiktionary

Adverb [English]

Etymology: Dates back at least to Old English hwæt ġif, of the same meaning. Etymology templates: {{inh|en|ang|hwæt ġif}} Old English hwæt ġif Head templates: {{en-adv|-}} what if (not comparable)
  1. Used to introduce a suggestion or proposal for a future event. Tags: not-comparable Synonyms (introducing a suggestion): how about
    Sense id: en-what_if-en-adv-xNXINwOb Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with topic categories using raw markup, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 41 15 44 Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 33 31 36 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 35 30 35 Disambiguation of 'introducing a suggestion': 66 16 18
  2. Used to introduce a speculation about a future event. Tags: not-comparable
    Sense id: en-what_if-en-adv-Li3Zb9A1 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with topic categories using raw markup, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 41 15 44 Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 33 31 36 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 35 30 35
  3. Used to introduce a speculation about a past event. Often the basis for counterfactual historical interpretations. Tags: not-comparable Categories (topical): Alternate history
    Sense id: en-what_if-en-adv-AUJdawKm Disambiguation of Alternate history: 20 17 63 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with topic categories using raw markup, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 41 15 44 Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 33 31 36 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 35 30 35
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: what-if Translations (used to introduce speculation about future): co kdyby (Czech), mitä jos (Finnish), entä jos (Finnish), et si (French), και αν (kai an) (Greek), mi lenne, ha (Hungarian), hva om (Norwegian), hwæt ġif (Old English), e se (Portuguese), tänk om (Swedish) Translations (used to introduce speculation about past): co když (Czech), co kdyby (Czech), mitä jos (Finnish), entä jos (Finnish), et si (French), και αν (kai an) (Greek), hwæt ġif (Old English), tänk om (Swedish) Translations (used to introduce suggestion): co takhle (Czech), mitä jos (Finnish), entä jos (Finnish), et si (French), was wenn (German), και αν (kai an) (Greek), hva om (Norwegian), hwæt ġif (Old English), que tal (note: with personal infinitive) (Portuguese), y si (Spanish), tänk om (Swedish)
Disambiguation of 'used to introduce speculation about future': 32 36 32 Disambiguation of 'used to introduce speculation about past': 32 35 33 Disambiguation of 'used to introduce suggestion': 36 33 31

Download JSON data for what if meaning in All languages combined (7.4kB)

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "what-if"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "hwæt ġif"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English hwæt ġif",
      "name": "inh"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Dates back at least to Old English hwæt ġif, of the same meaning.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "what if (not comparable)",
      "name": "en-adv"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adv",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "41 15 44",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 31 36",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "35 30 35",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "What if we arrange it for 9:00 instead of 10:00?"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used to introduce a suggestion or proposal for a future event."
      ],
      "id": "en-what_if-en-adv-xNXINwOb",
      "links": [
        [
          "suggestion",
          "suggestion"
        ],
        [
          "proposal",
          "proposal"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "66 16 18",
          "sense": "introducing a suggestion",
          "word": "how about"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "41 15 44",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 31 36",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "35 30 35",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "What if we could learn to get along? What would happen then?"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used to introduce a speculation about a future event."
      ],
      "id": "en-what_if-en-adv-Li3Zb9A1",
      "links": [
        [
          "speculation",
          "speculation"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "41 15 44",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 31 36",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "35 30 35",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "20 17 63",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Alternate history",
          "orig": "en:Alternate history",
          "parents": [
            "History",
            "Speculative fiction",
            "All topics",
            "Fiction",
            "Genres",
            "Fundamental",
            "Artistic works",
            "Entertainment",
            "Art",
            "Culture",
            "Society"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "What if Abraham Lincoln had not been assassinated? How might the Reconstruction of the Southern States have been handled?"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used to introduce a speculation about a past event. Often the basis for counterfactual historical interpretations."
      ],
      "id": "en-what_if-en-adv-AUJdawKm",
      "links": [
        [
          "speculation",
          "speculation"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "_dis1": "36 33 31",
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "used to introduce suggestion",
      "word": "co takhle"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "36 33 31",
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "used to introduce suggestion",
      "word": "mitä jos"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "36 33 31",
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "used to introduce suggestion",
      "word": "entä jos"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "36 33 31",
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "used to introduce suggestion",
      "word": "et si"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "36 33 31",
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "used to introduce suggestion",
      "word": "was wenn"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "36 33 31",
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "kai an",
      "sense": "used to introduce suggestion",
      "word": "και αν"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "36 33 31",
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian",
      "sense": "used to introduce suggestion",
      "word": "hva om"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "36 33 31",
      "code": "ang",
      "lang": "Old English",
      "sense": "used to introduce suggestion",
      "word": "hwæt ġif"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "36 33 31",
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "note": "e se (with imperfect subjunctive or future subjunctive)",
      "sense": "used to introduce suggestion"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "36 33 31",
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "note": "with personal infinitive",
      "sense": "used to introduce suggestion",
      "word": "que tal"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "36 33 31",
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "used to introduce suggestion",
      "word": "y si"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "36 33 31",
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "used to introduce suggestion",
      "word": "tänk om"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "32 36 32",
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about future",
      "word": "co kdyby"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "32 36 32",
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about future",
      "word": "mitä jos"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "32 36 32",
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about future",
      "word": "entä jos"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "32 36 32",
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about future",
      "word": "et si"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "32 36 32",
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "kai an",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about future",
      "word": "και αν"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "32 36 32",
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about future",
      "word": "mi lenne, ha"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "32 36 32",
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about future",
      "word": "hva om"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "32 36 32",
      "code": "ang",
      "lang": "Old English",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about future",
      "word": "hwæt ġif"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "32 36 32",
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about future",
      "word": "e se"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "32 36 32",
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about future",
      "word": "tänk om"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "32 35 33",
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about past",
      "word": "co když"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "32 35 33",
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about past",
      "word": "co kdyby"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "32 35 33",
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about past",
      "word": "mitä jos"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "32 35 33",
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about past",
      "word": "entä jos"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "32 35 33",
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about past",
      "word": "et si"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "32 35 33",
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "kai an",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about past",
      "word": "και αν"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "32 35 33",
      "code": "ang",
      "lang": "Old English",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about past",
      "word": "hwæt ġif"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "32 35 33",
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about past",
      "word": "tänk om"
    }
  ],
  "word": "what if"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English adverbs",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English terms derived from Old English",
    "English terms inherited from Old English",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
    "English uncomparable adverbs",
    "en:Alternate history"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "what-if"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "hwæt ġif"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English hwæt ġif",
      "name": "inh"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Dates back at least to Old English hwæt ġif, of the same meaning.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "what if (not comparable)",
      "name": "en-adv"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adv",
  "senses": [
    {
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "What if we arrange it for 9:00 instead of 10:00?"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used to introduce a suggestion or proposal for a future event."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "suggestion",
          "suggestion"
        ],
        [
          "proposal",
          "proposal"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "What if we could learn to get along? What would happen then?"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used to introduce a speculation about a future event."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "speculation",
          "speculation"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "What if Abraham Lincoln had not been assassinated? How might the Reconstruction of the Southern States have been handled?"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used to introduce a speculation about a past event. Often the basis for counterfactual historical interpretations."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "speculation",
          "speculation"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "sense": "introducing a suggestion",
      "word": "how about"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "used to introduce suggestion",
      "word": "co takhle"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "used to introduce suggestion",
      "word": "mitä jos"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "used to introduce suggestion",
      "word": "entä jos"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "used to introduce suggestion",
      "word": "et si"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "used to introduce suggestion",
      "word": "was wenn"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "kai an",
      "sense": "used to introduce suggestion",
      "word": "και αν"
    },
    {
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian",
      "sense": "used to introduce suggestion",
      "word": "hva om"
    },
    {
      "code": "ang",
      "lang": "Old English",
      "sense": "used to introduce suggestion",
      "word": "hwæt ġif"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "note": "e se (with imperfect subjunctive or future subjunctive)",
      "sense": "used to introduce suggestion"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "note": "with personal infinitive",
      "sense": "used to introduce suggestion",
      "word": "que tal"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "used to introduce suggestion",
      "word": "y si"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "used to introduce suggestion",
      "word": "tänk om"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about future",
      "word": "co kdyby"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about future",
      "word": "mitä jos"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about future",
      "word": "entä jos"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about future",
      "word": "et si"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "kai an",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about future",
      "word": "και αν"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about future",
      "word": "mi lenne, ha"
    },
    {
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about future",
      "word": "hva om"
    },
    {
      "code": "ang",
      "lang": "Old English",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about future",
      "word": "hwæt ġif"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about future",
      "word": "e se"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about future",
      "word": "tänk om"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about past",
      "word": "co když"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about past",
      "word": "co kdyby"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about past",
      "word": "mitä jos"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about past",
      "word": "entä jos"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about past",
      "word": "et si"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "kai an",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about past",
      "word": "και αν"
    },
    {
      "code": "ang",
      "lang": "Old English",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about past",
      "word": "hwæt ġif"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "used to introduce speculation about past",
      "word": "tänk om"
    }
  ],
  "word": "what if"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-26 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (93a6c53 and 21a9316). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.