What if vs. what about if

Question

What if I open a restaurant? Do you think that would be a good idea?

This is perfectly fine. You don't need to change anything.

You might hear, in casual conversation, "Well, what about if I open a restaurant? (as opposed to something else you'd already discussed.) Do you think that would be a good idea?" (the emphasis in speech would be on that, because you would be

Sam1947 · Accepted Answer

What if I open a restaurant? Do you think that would be a good idea?

This is perfectly fine. You don't need to change anything.

You might hear, in casual conversation, "Well, what about if I open a restaurant? (as opposed to something else you'd already discussed.) Do you think that would be a good idea?" (the emphasis in speech would be on that, because you would be contrasting it to some idea you'd stated before that the person didn't think was a good one.

This would be in the context of a discussion with someone where you may have floated some other idea, let's say, "What if I open a clothing store?" And they replied, "I don't think that would work for you." You might reply, "Well, then, what about if I open a restaurant....etc."

Both mean basically the same thing. You are seeking an opinion from someone about whether or not it is a good idea for you to open a restaurant. The differences in how you would say it would depend on the context of the conversation.

Anonymous · Answer

Sorry for my delayed reply, but thanks so much, sam1947, for your clear explanation. I understand now the difference between the two phrases.

sam1947What if I open a restaurant? Do you think that would be a good idea?
This is perfectly fine. You don't need to change anything.

Just a question on this: Don't you think I should change 'open' above to 'opened' because some grammar books I've read suggest that if we use 'would' in the main clause, then the verb in the if-clause should be in the simple past, ie. "That would be a good idea if I opened a restaurant." ?

I'm not sure if that is a strict rule, but if my original sentence sounds natural to you, then I believe it's indeed fine.

Thanks in advance for your enlightenment.

Sam1947 · Answer

In casual conversation, it is fine as it is.  It would also be fine to use opened, and I would use that if I were writing it in any context that is going to be graded or in a formal context.

Anonymous · Answer

Okay, thank you for that clarification. I see both versions are fine in casual conversation, but in formal writing, 'opened' is preferred.

Again, thank you. You've been very helpful.

What if vs. what about if

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