hvad laver du?
The English phrase "what are you doing?" is translated into Danish as hvad laver du?
The phrase is a question used to ask someone what activity they are currently performing.
What does it mean word for word?
In the phrase hvad laver du?, the verb laver literally means "makes" or "does", so the phrase can be understood in a very literal sense as "what makes you?"
Which one should you use?
While hvad laver du? is the most common way to ask about an activity, hvad gør du? is also grammatically correct but often implies a more specific action or behavior.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word du is the informal "you" pronoun in Danish.
Did you know?
- If you use hvad gør du? instead of hvad laver du?, you might sound like you are questioning someone's moral conduct or behavior rather than their current hobby.
- The word du shares a common ancestor with the archaic English word 'thou', marking them as distant linguistic cousins.
- When asking hvad laver du? in a casual setting, Danes often swallow the 'd' in hvad, making it sound more like va' laver du?
Example conversation
Mads walks into the living room and sees Sofie.
- MadsHej Sofie, hvad laver du?Hi Sofie, what are you doing?
- SofieJeg læser en bog.I am reading a book.
- MadsEr den god?Is it good?
- SofieJa, den er virkelig spændende.Yes, it is really exciting.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries du, hvad, laver, CC BY-SA 4.0.
