How to Say “What Are You Doing?” in French

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qu'est-ce que tu fais ?
what are you doing? in French is qu'est-ce que tu fais ?
This phrase is used to ask someone about their current activity. In French, the simple present tense is used to express both the simple present ('you do') and the present continuous ('you are doing').

What does it mean word for word?

The component qu'est-ce que literally translates to 'what is it that' and serves as a standard way to introduce a question starting with 'what'.

Which one should you use?

The choice of phrase depends on who you are addressing and the level of formality. qu'est-ce que tu fais ? is the informal way to ask the question, while Qu'est-ce que vous faites ? and Que faites-vous ? are used when addressing multiple people or when using the formal 'vous'. For very casual speech, Tu fais quoi ? is used.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

There are several ways to express this depending on the situation. qu'est-ce que tu fais ? is used in informal settings. For formal situations, you should use Qu'est-ce que vous faites ? or Que faites-vous ? In relaxed, casual spoken French, you might hear the colloquial Tu fais quoi ?

Is it said differently in some regions?

In countries like Canada, the colloquial expression Tu fiches quoi ? is used to mean 'What are you doing?'

How does it change in a sentence?

To address more than one person, or to use the formal 'vous' form, change the phrase to qu'est-ce que vous faites ?

Did you know?

  • The word tu shares the same ancient Proto-Indo-European roots as the Italian word 'tu' and the German 'du'.
  • The formal Que faites-vous ? uses inversion, where the verb comes before the subject, a structure rarely used in casual conversation.

Example conversation

Manon walks into the kitchen and sees Hugo cooking.

  1. Manon

    Salut Hugo, qu'est-ce que tu fais ?
    Hi Hugo, what are you doing?
  2. Hugo

    Je prépare le dîner pour nous.
    I am preparing dinner for us.
  3. Manon

    C'est très gentil de ta part !
    That is very kind of you!
  4. Hugo

    C'est presque prêt, attends un peu.
    It is almost ready, wait a bit.

Sources

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Joan Sara
Joan SaraHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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