Mr.Maru: I'm tired. That was a long day at work!
Sparky: Yeah, it's time to relax.
Mr.Maru: I have some ice cream. Let's eat it.
Sparky: Um, okay. Sure.
Mr.Maru: Oh, no! There is no ice cream. Did you eat it?
Sparky: Um, no. The cat did.
Mr.Maru: Supposing the cat had eaten the ice cream, why is there a dog hair on the bowl.
Sparky: Well, what if the cat took some of my hair and put it on the bowl?
Mr.Maru: Yeah, right. Suppose you go and buy more ice cream before I get angry.
Sparky: I don't have money.
Mr.Maru: What if I give you money? Then, can you go to the store?
Sparky: Supposing the store will be open. Yes.
Mr.Maru: Ohh, go buy ice cream.

How do you use 'what if', 'suppose' and 'supposing?' These words are used to talk about things in the future that may happen. There are a few simple rules you need to think about when you use them.

Using 'what if', 'supposing' and 'suppose' to talk about future events

We use these words to talk about an action that might happen in the future. We are guessing about the action. We usually use the present tense of the verb. For example,

A: I can't go camping because my car broke.
B: What if we use my car?

We can also use the past tense of the verb. This makes it sound weaker. It is more unclear.

A: Let's go for a hike.

B: Supposing it rained heavily. What are we going to do then?

A: It's not going to rain. The weather report said there was only a 10% chance of rain.
B: I know, but we need to plan for it.

Using 'what if', 'suppose' and 'supposing' to talk about past events

We can also use these words to talk about actions that didn't happen in the past. We use the past perfect tense of the verb when talking about the past.  These are usually warnings or cautions. For example,

A: I was driving really fast on the highway today.
B: What if you had crashed? That wasn't very smart.

Quiz

1) A: I'm bored. What do you want to do this weekend?

B: What if we _____ a movie?

a) go and watch

b) went and watched

c) had gone and watched

2) A: I don't have time to write this report.

B: Supposing Mary _____ it. Then, you can go home early!

a) does

b) did

c) had done

3) A: Sorry, my dog ran into the street.

B: You need to be more careful. Suppose a car _____ your dog.

a) hit

b) hiten

c) had hit

Answers

1. a) and b) - a) is stronger than b)

2. a) and b) - a) is stronger than b)

3. c) - We are talking about an action that didn't happen in the past.

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