Learn English – Is a question such as ‘What to (do) …?’ grammatically correct

questions

I'm confused if questions starting with 'What to …' are grammatically correct or not. For example:

What to do if I reached there?

Best Answer

"What to do?" is a very informal way of asking "What can I do?" or "What should I do?" or "What is there to do?" It is sometimes used in headlines. It can have connotations of either boredom (if you don't have any idea how to spend your time), or desperation (if you need to fix a bad situation).

"What to do:" is an informal way of saying "Here is what you can do:". It is often used at the beginning of a list of instructions.

In the original poster's question, "What to do if I reached there?" is probably not the best way to ask the question. Here are some alternatives, from less formal to more formal:

  • What's next?
  • I'm here. Now what?
  • What should I do after getting there?

To my (American) ear, "Where to?" sounds natural; "What for?" sounds natural, but should often be replaced by "Why?"; and there are more situations in which "to what?" sounds natural than "what to?" sounds natural.

Here are some questions that are similar to "What to do?". They are also very informal:

  • What to say? ("What can I say?" is an alternative.)
  • What to wear? ("What should I wear?" is an alternative.)
  • What to be? ("Which career should I choose?" is an alternative.)
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