How to Say "What Are You Talking About?" in Russian

о чём ты говоришь?

o chyom ty govorish'?

The English phrase "what are you talking about?" is translated into Russian as о чём ты говоришь? (o chyom ty govorish'?)

This phrase is used to ask for clarification regarding the subject or the content of what someone is saying.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase о чём literally means "about what", as the preposition о (about) governs the prepositional case.

The default form о чём ты говоришь? uses the informal ты, while the form о чём вы говорите? is used for formal situations.

When addressing someone formally or in the plural, use the form о чём вы говорите?

o chyom ty govorish'?

In very informal slang, instead of asking what someone is talking about, a Russian might ask Ты чё несёшь?, which literally translates to 'What are you carrying?'
If you use the informal ты instead of the formal вы when arguing with a stranger, the phrase 'what are you talking about?' changes from a simple request for clarification into a direct provocation or an insult.
The pronoun ты shares a common ancestor with the English 'thou', showing how deeply these two very different-sounding languages are actually connected.

Я не понимаю, о чем вы говорите. Можете объяснить?
I don't understand what you are talking about. Could you explain?
Ты говоришь о своей поездке? О чем ты говоришь?
Are you talking about your trip? What are you talking about?

Olga tells Alexander something confusing about their plans.

Ольга Olga

Мы завтра едем в горы!
My zavtra yedem v gory!
We are going to the mountains tomorrow!
Александр Aleksandr

О чём ты говоришь?
O chyom ty govorish'?
What are you talking about?
Ольга Olga

Ты сам это предложил неделю назад.
Ty sam eto predlozhil nedelyu nazad.
You suggested it yourself a week ago.
Александр Aleksandr

Ох, я совсем забыл.
Okh, ya sovsem zabyl.
Oh, I completely forgot.

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