A what-if is an imagined situation — something that did not happen but could have, or something that has not happened yet but might. You turn the question "What if…?" into a thing you can talk about, so you can say "a what-if", "the what-ifs", "these what-ifs".

A what-if is an imagined situationA what-if是一種想像出來的情境 something that did not happen but could have一件沒有發生、但有可能發生的事 or something that has not happened yet but might或是一件還沒發生、但可能會發生的事 You turn the question "What if…?" into a thing you can talk about你把"What if…?"這個問句變成一個可以拿來談論的東西 so you can say "a what-if", "the what-ifs", "these what-ifs"所以可以說"a what-if"、"the what-ifs"、"these what-ifs"

It works two ways. Looking backwards, a what-if is a regret or a wondering about the past: what if I had taken that job, what if we had left ten minutes earlier. Looking forwards, it is a possibility you plan around: businesses and engineers run what-if scenarios to check what would happen if sales dropped, or if a machine failed.

It works two ways它有兩種用法 Looking backwards, a what-if is a regret or a wondering about the past往回看的時候a what-if是一種對過去的後悔或猜想 what if I had taken that job, what if we had left ten minutes earlierwhat if I had taken that job、what if we had left ten minutes earlier Looking forwards, it is a possibility you plan around往前看的時候它是一種拿來規劃的可能性 businesses and engineers run what-if scenarios企業和工程師會跑what-if scenarios to check what would happen if sales dropped, or if a machine failed檢查如果銷量下滑、或機器故障會怎麼樣

That second use is quite normal in work English — "what-if analysis", "a what-if question", "let's run a few what-ifs".

That second use is quite normal in work English這第二種用法在工作場合的英文裡很常見 "what-if analysis", "a what-if question", "let's run a few what-ifs""what-if analysis"、"a what-if question"、"let's run a few what-ifs"這些說法

The plural "what-ifs" often carries a feeling of worry, of a mind that will not stop: "I lay awake with all the what-ifs going round in my head." The hyphen is what turns the question into a noun; you will also see it without one, and as "what if" when it is simply the ordinary question again.

The plural "what-ifs" often carries a feeling of worry, of a mind that will not stop複數的"what-ifs"常常帶著一種擔心的感覺像是腦袋停不下來 "I lay awake with all the what-ifs going round in my head.""I lay awake with all the what-ifs going round in my head." The hyphen is what turns the question into a noun連字號就是把問句變成名詞的關鍵 you will also see it without one你也會看到沒有連字號的寫法 and as "what if" when it is simply the ordinary question again而寫成"what if"的時候它就只是普通的問句而已