# To do what?



## whenu

If someone told me he was going to, say, Jerusalem in a day or two, and I wanted to ask him, "To do what?", could I simply say, "מה לעשות?" (ma la'asot?)
Thanks.


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## shalom00

לעשות מה?

"מה לעשות?" usually means "What can you do?", i.e., that's the way it is, nothing to do about it.


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## I see you

Funny, I always thought the two were synonymous.


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## Supee

I think the difference between them is the same as that between the French “Quoi faire ?” and “Faire quoi ?”


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## Ali Smith

Could "To do what?" also be translated _kedey la'asot ma?_ in this context?


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## shalom00

Yes


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## Ali Smith

shalom00 said:


> לעשות מה?
> 
> "מה לעשות?" usually means "What can you do?", i.e., that's the way it is, nothing to do about it.


But I heard someone say והתלונן, מה לעשות. Doesn't it mean:

And he complained, "What should we do?"


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## Drink

It could mean that. What was the context?


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## Ali Smith

Drink said:


> It could mean that. What was the context?


שואלים אותי שוב ושוב: מהי הדרך החיניכית הנכונה? פנה אליי ראש ישיבה אחד והתלנן שכמה בחורי ישיבה יצאו לחופשת סקי. חופשת סקי. חמישה ימים! והתלונן, מה לעשות? להתעלם...ולהשאיר

I am asked again and again, "What is the right educational method?" A head of a yeshiva turned to me and complained that some young men went out on a ski vacation. A ski vacation. Five days! And he complained, "What should one do? Hide oneself...and let it go (incomplete)


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## Drink

Then yes, that's the right interpretation.


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## shalom00

להתעלם here means "Ignore it" (in the sense of "Pretend you don't know about it")


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