¿qué haces?
The English phrase "are you doing?" translates to Spanish as ¿qué haces?
¿qué haces? is a question used to ask someone what activity they are performing at the current moment.
How does it change in a sentence?
To ask "what are you doing?" using the polite "usted" form, use ¿qué hace? instead of ¿qué haces?
Did you know?
- In some Caribbean regions, people may use ¿qué haces? to ask what someone's profession is or what they do for a living.
- Depending on the intonation, ¿qué haces? can shift from a friendly greeting to a confrontation, similar to saying 'What do you think you are doing?' in English.
- The word qué shares its ancient roots with the English word 'what', both descending from the Latin quid.
Examples in context
- Buenos días, ¿cómo está usted?Good morning, how are you?
- Nada, ¿y tú?Nothing, and you?
Example conversation
Elena finds Mateo working on something at the kitchen table.
- ElenaMateo, ¿qué haces?Mateo, what are you doing?
- MateoEstoy arreglando mi computadora.I am fixing my computer.
- ElenaParece difícil.It looks difficult.
- MateoSí, pero ya casi termino.Yes, but I am almost finished.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
