was machst du?
was machst du? is the German way to say "what are you doing?"
This phrase is used to ask someone about their current activity or their plans. Because German does not have a continuous aspect, was machst du? can mean both "what are you doing?" and "what do you do?"
Which one should you use?
While was machst du? is the standard way to ask what someone is doing, you can add the word gerade to the phrase, was machst du gerade?, to emphasize that you are asking about the immediate present moment or "what are you doing right now?"
How does it change in a sentence?
The choice of pronoun determines the form. Use du for an informal singular subject, as in was machst du? For a formal singular or plural subject, use Sie, as in Was machen Sie? When addressing a group of people you know well (informal plural), use was macht ihr?
Did you know?
- Using was machst du? with a stranger or a superior can be perceived as an aggressive or overly familiar social faux pas.
- The word du shares the same ancient Proto-Indo-European root as the English 'thou'. This means was machst du? is a distant linguistic cousin to the archaic English phrase 'what makest thou?'
- If you ask a German 'was machst du?' regarding someone's profession, it might sound slightly odd. To specifically ask about a person's career, Germans usually prefer the phrase 'Was sind Sie von Beruf?'
Examples in context
- Guten Tag! Was machen Sie?Good day! What are you doing?
- Hey, was machst du heute Abend?Hey, what are you doing tonight?
- Was treibst du gerade?What are you up to right now?
Example conversation
Lukas calls Julia on her mobile phone.
- LukasHallo Julia, was machst du?Hello Julia, what are you doing?
- JuliaIch lese nur ein Buch.I am just reading a book.
- LukasHast du Lust auf Kino?Do you feel like going to the cinema?
- JuliaJa, das klingt gut!Yes, that sounds good!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries du, was, CC BY-SA 4.0.
