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

By •
O que você está fazendo?
The English phrase "what are you doing?" is O que você está fazendo? in Portuguese.
Depending on the context, there are several ways to ask this. O que você está fazendo? is a common way to ask friends or family what they are doing. O que está a fazer? is a common way to ask someone what they are doing in a formal setting. If you want to ask what someone is up to in a colloquial way, you can use O que tá rolando?, which roughly translates to "What's going on?"

Which one should you use?

Be careful not to confuse the continuous action with a general habit. Use O que você está fazendo? for an action happening right now, whereas O que você faz? refers to a habit or a general occupation.

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

For formal settings, O que está a fazer? is a common choice. If you are addressing an older man or someone in a position of authority, you can be more polite or respectful by replacing você with o senhor in the phrase O que o senhor está fazendo? To address an older woman or someone in a position of authority politely, replace você with a senhora in the phrase O que a senhora está fazendo?

Is it said differently in some regions?

In casual spoken Brazilian Portuguese, você está is frequently contracted to cê tá in the phrase O que cê tá fazendo?

How does it change in a sentence?

In Portuguese, questions are indicated by intonation rather than a change in word order, so the word order remains similar to a declarative statement.

Did you know?

  • The Portuguese word você shares the same historical origin as the Spanish word usted, as both began as ways to address someone with 'mercy'.
  • The colloquial phrase O que tá rolando? uses the verb rolar, which literally means 'to roll'.

Examples in context

  • Desculpe, o que você está fazendo?
    Sorry, what are you doing?

Example conversation

Camila walks into the living room and sees Felipe.

  1. Camila

    Oi, Felipe! O que você está fazendo?
    Hi, Felipe! What are you doing?
  2. Felipe

    Estou tentando consertar a TV.
    I am trying to fix the TV.
  3. Camila

    Você precisa de ajuda?
    Do you need help?
  4. Felipe

    Não, eu já quase terminei.
    No, I've almost finished.

Sources

⭐Share⭐ to appreciate human effort 🙏
Alfred Bradley
Alfred BradleyHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
guest
0 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Scroll to Top