What about-have

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What about-have
Message de cirkas posté le 30-04-2010 à 15:58:06 (S | E | F)
Hello
Je ne comprends pas l'utilisation de what about

je viens de le voir dans cette phrase What about a mixed salad? et dans what about some delicious fish and chips?

Ici traduit par que diriez vous....

et dans l'exercice Prendrais tu un café? je l'ai traduit par Have you a coffee?
et eux par what about a coffee ?

Why, please?

thank you very much of your help!!

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Modifié par bridg le 30-04-2010 17:39

Réponse: What about-have de dolfine56, postée le 30-04-2010 à 16:40:56 (S | E)
Bonjour,

"what about" means "what should you say of".
in french; "que diriez-vous de?";"que penseriez-vous de?; est-ce que ça vous dirait de ..?
here is a link:
Lien Internet

et dans l'exercice Prendrais tu un café? je l'ai traduit par Have you a coffee?
et eux par what about a coffee ?

Prendrais tu un café? se dit: would you like some coffee;would you have some coffee, ou bien:
what about a coffee? = que diriez-vous d'un café?
have a nice time....

Réponse: What about-have de taconnet, postée le 30-04-2010 à 17:08:00 (S | E)
Bonjour.

what/how about somebody/something

a) used to ask a question that directs attention to another person or thing:
What about Jack? We can't just leave him here.
I'm feeling hungry. How about you?

b) used to make a suggestion:
How about a salad for lunch?

Lien Internet

How about going to a movie?
I would love to, but what about the kids? [meaning, we would have to arrange for their care.]

Réponse: What about-have de notrepere, postée le 01-05-2010 à 03:42:57 (S | E)
Hello:

Excellent summary taconnet. I would only add that (at least in American English), "How about" is almost exclusively used to make a suggestion:

How about we go to a movie?
How about we take a ride on the bus?
How about you take out the garbage?
How about it? (In response to a suggestion: We could go to the park. How about it?)

In these instances, "What about" would NOT be appropriate. "What about going to a movie" would be understood, but might elicit the response: "What about it?"

EXCEPTION: How about you? In this case, "What about you?" and "How about you?" are used interchangeably but there is a subtle difference. "What about you?" has more the sense of "What do you THINK about it". "How about you?" has the sense of "How do you FEEL about it".

So, when we are asking "How about going to a movie", we are really asking "How would you FEEL about going to a movie?". And when we say "What about racial integration?" we are really asking "What do you THINK about racial integration". Wow, I find that really fascinating myself. I have never really sat down to think about that.

So, in other words, "How about" is more about feeling and "What about" is more about thinking. "How about" is more appropriate for friendships and "What about" for more formality. "How about a salad?" might be something a friend would say because they would be more interested in your feelings. "What about a salad?" might be something the waiter/waitress might say because they are more interested in what you think.

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Modifié par notrepere le 01-05-2010 05:31

Réponse: What about-have de gerondif, postée le 01-05-2010 à 09:39:44 (S | E)
Hello , notrepère,

SInce English is your native language, would you say that your examples:
How about we go to a movie?
How about we take a ride on the bus?
How about you take out the garbage?
How about it? are oral language or standard English ?

Let me explain: When I teach my pupils about "suggestions", I make the difference between:
a) structures using the complete infinitive:
I want (us)to go to the movies:
I would like (us) to go to the movies.

b) the structures using the infinitive without the "to"
Let's go to the movies !
Why not go to the movies ?
Why don't we go to the movies ?
Shall we go to the movies ?

c) Using the gerund:
What about going to the movies ?
How about going to the movies ?

After teaching that so many years, I find your examples interesting because they challenge my grammatical habits ! Maybe I'm rusty !! That's why they sound to me like oral English.

I would agree with : "How about" is more about feeling and "What about" is more about thinking." You propose something when you say "how about", you mention something when you say "what about".

Of course, we teach beginners that "what about" is used when you don't feel like making or repeating a question. (I live in Paris. What about you ?)

Regards,

Réponse: What about-have de lucile83, postée le 01-05-2010 à 09:54:16 (S | E)
Hello,
These examples:
How about we go to a movie?
How about we take a ride on the bus?
How about you take out the garbage?

are popular language.

Have a look here; it's a discussion about that question 'what /how about':
Lien Internet

including the difference between the use of 'what' and 'how'.

Regards.

Réponse: What about-have de may, postée le 01-05-2010 à 13:51:05 (S | E)
Bonjour,

yes, notrepere, I have had the same as gerondif. As in normal grammatical structure of a sentence, what follows up what about or how about is a phrase , not a clause .

As a matter of fact, I would prefer to say:

It's so beautiful today! How about walking around the park?

than How about we walk around the park .

Regards,

Réponse: What about-have de cirkas, postée le 01-05-2010 à 14:55:32 (S | E)
Thank you very much for the answers^^

Réponse: What about-have de notrepere, postée le 02-05-2010 à 09:26:59 (S | E)
Hello!

Well, as you know, there are many variations in how English is spoken around the world. We all started out learning English from textbooks but that will only take you so far. I do not wish to overly influence anyone learning English on this forum, I am just telling you some "real life" examples from my part of the world (which is far from the Queen's English, as you can see). I do agree that it's important to learn the rules! As you know, even the French have a more familiar way of speaking that doesn't always abide by the rules! Yes, gerondif, your examples are perfectly valid and I am impressed that you can recite these rules of "correct" English grammar that I have long ago forgotten. However, I do wish to assure you that these phrases are "informal, popular language" as lucile83 has pointed out. I would never use them in formal writing, which I am more than capable of composing.

I think actual usage can serve as a "reality check". According to Google, there are 15.2 million webpages with the phrase "how about we ..." Lien Internet

However, when I limit that to UK sites only, there are only 287,000. So, this appears to be another case of GB vs. non-GB English. Lien Internet

Best regards,

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Modifié par notrepere le 02-05-2010 09:43

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