vocabulary: "what-if" in other languages, other words

[Tophe]

In the last issue of "Le Fana de l'Aviation", I have been delighted to see the YAH-63 painted military ("AH-63A").
In English the title would of course be "what if..." but this sounds bad in French ("quoi si...") so it was "and if..." ("et si...").
Could friends here tell us:
A- the words for "what-if" in other languages (Spanish, Danish, German, ...) as "et si" in French.
I remember dear JCC used "uchronique" (uchronism, alternative history) for his Modelstories pages, while I used "irréaliste" (unrealistic)
B- other words to say "what-if" in ways that may be easier to translate
So we have "and if", "uchronic", "unrealistic", "fantasy", "dreamy", ...?

Please enrich the catalogue if you can (and are willing to)...

[puddingwrestler]

The correct pronunciation in Oztralian is "WORRIF?"
This is usually said at maximum volume while waving a schooner of beer.

[Wyrmshadow]

Since my father did an aweful job teaching me how to read in polish, I have to spell this phonetically.

"What could be" is pronounced "Tzo mozeh bitch"  you pronounce the e.

yes, in polish the word that sounds like bitch is actually a form of the verb "to be".

"Gdje ona moze bitch" Where could she be?

That would be the most entertaining Whif I can think of.

[upnorth]

That's not too far off how you'd say it in Czech as well, Wyrm.

[Spey_Phantom]

here a few lessons in dutch:

What if = Wat Als

and here some lessons in flemish:

Wo is me pinte? = where's my beer?

Kost zien = could be

tmoest zien = should be

wanair da = when that / when if

en da ist = and thats it.

[B777LR]

Wo is me pinte? = where's my beer?

= Hvor er min øl?

Øl = Beer, but "Bajer", "Stift", "Pilsner" and "Pils" can also be used. I will not mention any more, because somebody says that children browse this site...

[Weaver]

Wo is me pinte? = where's my beer?

That would probably work in Geordiland too......

The "respectable" term for What If's in serious historical discussion is "counter-factuals" if anybody fancies translating that. Don't look at me: I'm utterly, utterly crap at languages.....

[NARSES2]

Wo is me pinte? = where's my beer?

= Hvor er min øl?

Øl = Beer, but "Bajer", "Stift", "Pilsner" and "Pils" can also be used. I will not mention any more, because somebody says that children browse this site...

Your'e a wicked little so and so 

[ChernayaAkula]

German for "what if..?" would be "was wäre, wenn...?". You could cut it down to "was, wenn...?" (being a correct and literal translation of "what if"), but the with the verb "wäre" it sounds more natural in German. "wäre" translates to "would be". So literally translating "was wäre, wenn..." would get you "what would be, if...".

[NARSES2]

No wonder I struggled with languages at school 

[Martin H]

No wonder I struggled with languages at school 

Nah chris...thats just called being British

[nev]

I thought it was cos he was a bit thick.........

[NARSES2]

I thought it was cos he was a bit thick.........

Oi ----- less of the bit 

[Geoff]

For most Brits that don't Wif it is usually pronounced as -

" Huh! Wot'f--?"

Wo is me pinte? = where's my beer?

That would probably work in Geordiland too......

Thats cos they is related.

[Joe C-P]

I'm reading a book called "What If?" written by military historians discussing possible alternate outcomes of various events from the life of Alexander the Great up to the 20th century. The term they use is "counterfactual".

If you're especially tricky and get people to do a double-take, it's "Wait, what?"