Supposing, what if

  • B2 · Upper-intermediate
  • Grammar lesson
  • 60 min
  • supposing, suppose, what if

supposing, suppose and what if + past for imagined situations: Supposing someone gave you a free plane ticket, where would you go first? And what if + present for a real worry: What if the car breaks down? The student hears two friends on a late-night drive, sorts real worries from imagined situations, and asks and answers "what would you do?" questions in a job interview.

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SupposingWhat ifwere

What's in the lesson

  1. 1Warm-up
  2. 2In this lesson
  3. 3Check the conversationListening comprehension
  4. 4What does it mean?Grammar exercise
  5. 5Find the imagined situationsGrammar exercise
  6. 6supposing, suppose, what ifGrammar rule
  7. 7Real or imagined?Grammar exercise
  8. 8Choose the formGrammar exercise
  9. 9The what-if gameGrammar exercise
  10. 10Questions for your teacherGrammar exercise
  11. 11Say it naturallySpeaking practice
  12. 12The interviewSpeaking practice
  13. 13About youGrammar exercise
  14. 14Wrap-up

Homework

  1. 1Homework: which sentence is correct?Grammar exercise
  2. 2Homework: questions for a party gameGrammar exercise
  3. 3Homework: build the questionsGrammar exercise
  4. 4Homework: a "What if?" pageDiscussion

Two slides from the lesson

Warm-up

A few questions about you before we start.

  1. On a long car trip, how do you stay awake or pass the time?
  2. Do you like games where people ask each other strange questions? Why, or why not?
  3. What would you do with one extra hour every day?

Grammar rule

supposing, suppose, what if

supposing, suppose and what if mean "imagine". They start a situation, and a question or a result follows.

FormUseExample
supposing / suppose / what if + past simple (were for be) → would / could / might + verban imagined situation, now or in the future: unlikely or impossibleSupposing you were invisible for a day, where would you go?
what if / suppose + present → will / cana real possibility, often a worryWhat if the ferry is full? — Then we'll take the next one.
what if we + past simplea suggestionWhat if we met at the café instead?

Three ways to say it

Supposing you were the boss, what would you change? (one sentence, with a comma) · Suppose you were the boss. What would you change? (two sentences) · What if you were the boss? (a question on its own). what if is the most common in conversation; suppose and supposing mean the same.

Watch out

  • No would in the imagined part: Supposing I would be taller… → Supposing I were taller…
  • Match the answer to the situation: real (present) → will; imagined (past) → would. What if Grandma calls during dinner? I'll call her back. · What if Grandma lived next door? I'd see her every day.
  • In careful English, were for every person: Supposing he were here… (was is common in conversation).
  • Suppose or Supposing, not Supposed: Supposed you had a boat… → Suppose you had a boat…
  • suppose = imagine here. In "I suppose so" (lesson 31), it means I think.
  • This lesson is about now and the future. For an imagined past, the past perfect and would have work as they do in an if sentence about the past: Supposing you had missed the flight, what would you have done?

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