¿Qué vas a hacer?
The English phrase "what are you going to do" is translated into Spanish as ¿Qué vas a hacer?
This phrase uses the periphrasis ir + a + infinitive to express the near future, which is identical to the English "going to".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of qué (what), vas (you go/are going), a (to) and hacer (to do/make).
How does it change in a sentence?
The default form ¿Qué vas a hacer? uses the informal tú conjugation of the verb ir. To use the formal "you", change the conjugated verb vas to va to get ¿Qué va a hacer? To ask the question to a group of people, use the form ¿Qué van a hacer?
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, asking ¿Qué vas a hacer? during a casual encounter can be a way of asking 'what are your plans for the evening' rather than a literal question about a specific task.
- The word hacer was spelled fazer in Old Spanish, which is why it still looks and sounds like the Portuguese word fazer.
- In some dialects, particularly in parts of the Caribbean, the 's' in vas might be aspirated or dropped in rapid speech, making it sound like 'va'.
Examples in context
- ¿Qué vas a hacer?What are you going to do?Tatoeba #860137 by alicia, translation #25000 by CK
- Hoy es el último día, ¿qué vas a hacer?Today is the last day, what are you going to do?Tatoeba #13930690 by mervert1, translation #4864554 by jarbv
- ¿Qué vas a hacer este fin de semana?What are you going to do this weekend?
Example conversation
Daniel and María are talking about their plans for the afternoon.
- DanielYa es muy tarde, ¿qué vas a hacer?It is already very late, what are you going to do?
- MaríaVoy a estudiar para el examen.I am going to study for the exam.
- DanielTe veo mañana en la clase.I will see you tomorrow in class.
- MaríaVale, hasta mañana.Okay, see you tomorrow.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, hacer, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
