what about

English

what about (not comparable)

Used to make a suggestion.
What about going to a restaurant tonight?
Used to ask someone to consider something or someone that they have apparently not considered.
- 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 15, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
  ‘No,’ said Luke, grinning at her. ‘You're not dull enough! […] What about the kid's clothes? I don't suppose they were anything to write home about, but didn't you keep anything? A bootee or a bit of embroidery or anything at all?’
You're obviously having a good time, but what about me?

Move to another country? What about where we’re going to live?
Used to repeat a question but referring to a different subject or object.
“Is John coming tomorrow?” “Yes.” “What about David?”

“Do you like football?” “No.” “What about basketball?”
Used to inquire about the purpose of someone introducing a subject to the speaker.
“Do you remember John Smith from work?” “Yeah, what about him?” “Oh, nothing. I just ran into him today.”
Used to express approval of an occurrence or a result.
What about the second goal!

used to make a suggestion

Catalan: què tal
Chinese:
Mandarin: ...怎麼樣 / ...怎么样 (zh) (...zěnmeyàng)
Danish: hvad med
Dutch: wat zeg je van
Finnish: conditional + -ko, mitä jos + conditional, entä jos + conditional
French: si + imperfect
Georgian: იქნებ (ikneb)
German: wie wär's mit
Hebrew: מָה לְגַבֵּי (má legabé), מָה עִם (má im)
Italian: se (it), e se + subjunctive
Japanese: ...いかがですか (...ikaga desu ka), ...どうですか (ja) (...dō desu ka)
Kapampangan: pakananu
Korean: 어때요 (ko) (eottaeyo)
Polish: co powiesz na
Portuguese: que tal...?, quem sabe…?
Romanian: ce-ar fi dacă (literally “what would be if”), dacă (ro) (elliptical)
Russian: что́ е́сли (štó jésli), как насчёт (kak nasčót) (+ genitive case)
Spanish: ¿qué tal...?
Swedish: vad sägs om att

used to ask someone to consider something or someone that they have apparently not considered

Chinese:
Mandarin: ...怎麼樣 / ...怎么样 (zh) (...zěnmeyàng), ...呢 (zh) (...ne)
Danish: hvad med
Dutch: en (nl), hoe zit het met
Finnish: entä (fi)
French: et (fr), quid, qu'en est-il de
German: und (de), was ist mit
Italian: e (it)
Japanese: は (ja) (wa)
Kapampangan: ing, mang
Korean: 는 (ko) (neun)
Navajo: shąʼ
Ngazidja Comorian: e
Old English: hū be
Polish: a (pl)
Portuguese: e...?, e sobre...?, e quanto a...?
Romanian: cum rămâne cu (literally “how is it left about…”)
Russian: а (ru) (a), а ка́к же (ru) (a kák že), (а) как насчёт ((a) kak nasčót) (+ genitive case)
Spanish: y (es), ¿qué tal...?
Swedish: och...då
Vietnamese: còn (vi), còn ... thì sao
Yiddish: וואָס איז מיט (vos iz mit)

used to repeat a question

used to express approval