ne yapıyorsun?
The English phrase "what are you doing?" is translated into Turkish as ne yapıyorsun?
This phrase is used to ask someone about their current activity or their general state of being.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ne yapıyorsun? is composed of ne (what), yapıyor (doing) and the second-person singular suffix -sun (you are).
Which one should you use?
Use ne yapıyorsun? when speaking to friends or peers. In contrast, use ne yapıyorsunuz? when addressing elders, strangers or when communicating in professional settings.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some regional dialects of Turkey, you may hear the colloquial form ne yapıyon? and the informal variant ne yapıyosun?
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form ne yapıyorsunuz? is used to address a group of people or to address a single person formally.
When do people say it?
When someone asks this question and you are not doing anything special, a common idiomatic response is Hiç, ne yapayım?, which means "Nothing much, what can I do?"
Did you know?
- Because Turkish is an agglutinative language, the single word yapıyorsun is actually a miniature sentence. It contains the root 'do', the continuous tense marker, and the personal suffix all stacked together.
- In many Turkic languages like Kazakh or Kyrgyz, the word for 'what' is still very similar to the Turkish ne, such as 'ne' or 'ni'. This shows the deep linguistic unity across Central Asia.
- In certain contexts, ne yapıyorsun? can be used as a mild rebuke or a way to express surprise, similar to saying 'What are you up to?' or 'What on earth are you doing?' in English.
Examples in context
- Şu an ne yapıyorsun?What are you doing right now?
- Telefonda ne yapıyorsun?What are you doing on the phone?
- Hey, ne yapıyorsun?Hey, what are you doing?
Example conversation
Selin calls Can to check on him.
- SelinCan, ne yapıyorsun?Can, what are you doing?
- CanÖdev yapıyorum, Selin.I am doing homework, Selin.
- SelinÇok mu meşgulsün?Are you very busy?
- CanEvet, birazdan konuşalım.Yes, let's talk later.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ne, CC BY-SA 4.0.
