"What would you do differently?" vs "what would you have done differently?"

Question

"What would you do differently?" vs "what would you have done differently?"

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'What would you have done differently?' is used when referring to a specific past situation, while 'What would you do differently?' is used when discussing a hypothetical or future scenario.

Last Updated: March 22, 2024

This phrase is used to ask someone about what actions they would take differently in a hypothetical or future situation.

Examples:

What would you do differently if you had the chance?
What would you do differently in your next job?
What would you do differently if you were in charge?
What would you do differently if you could go back in time?
What would you do differently to achieve better results?

Alternatives:

What could you do differently?
What should you do differently?
What might you do differently?
What would you change?
What would you improve?

This phrase is used to ask someone about what actions they would have taken differently in a specific past scenario.

Examples:

What would you have done differently in that project?
What would you have done differently if you were in my shoes?
What would you have done differently if you had known the outcome?
What would you have done differently in that situation?
What would you have done differently to avoid the mistake?

Alternatives:

What could you have done differently?
What should you have done differently?
What might you have done differently?
What would you have changed?
What would you have improved?

Answer 1

What would you do differently?

This phrase is correct and commonly used when discussing a hypothetical or future scenario.

Answer 2

what would you have done differently?

This phrase is correct and commonly used when referring to a specific past situation.

"What would you do differently?" vs "what would you have done differently?"

What would you do differently?

what would you have done differently?

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