מה אתה עושה?
ma ata ose?
The Hebrew phrase for "what are you doing?" is מה אתה עושה? (ma ata ose?)
This phrase is used to ask someone about the activity they are performing at the present moment.
What does it mean word for word?
The word מה (ma) is an interrogative that literally means "what" and is used to initiate the question. The verb עושה (ose) is the present tense singular masculine form of the root meaning "doing" or "making".
Which one should you use?
Use מה אתה עושה? when addressing a male, מה את עושה? when addressing a woman and מה אתם עושים? when addressing a group of people.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes based on the gender and number of the person being addressed. The masculine singular form is מה אתה עושה? The feminine singular form is מה את עושה? The plural form is מה אתם עושים?
How do you pronounce it?
ma ata ose?
Did you know?
- Depending on the intonation, מה אתה עושה? can be shifted from a curious question to a sharp reprimand meaning 'What do you think you are doing?'
- In modern Hebrew slang, if someone asks מה קורה? (ma kore?), which means 'what is happening?', they are often just saying 'how are you?' rather than literally asking about a current event.
- While מה אתה עושה? asks about an activity, the verb לעשות (la'asot) can also be used in Hebrew to mean 'to act' or 'to behave' in a moral sense.
Example conversation
Itay walks into the living room and sees Noa working on a puzzle.
- איתי Itayהיי נועה, מה אתה עושה?Hai Noa, ma ata ose?Hi Noa, what are you doing?
- נועה Noaאני מסדרת פאזל גדול.Ani mesaderet puzzle gadol.I am putting together a big puzzle.
- איתי Itayזה נראה קשה מאוד.Ze nir'e kashe me'od.It looks very difficult.
- נועה Noaכן, אבל זה כיפי.Ken, aval ze kefi.Yes, but it is fun.
