Che fai?
The English slang 'wyd' can be translated into Italian as Che fai?
Che fai? is used to ask someone about their current activity. In text messaging, it serves as the standard equivalent to the English slang 'wyd'.
Which one should you use?
Depending on the context, Che fai? can mean either 'What are you doing right now?' or 'What do you do (for a living/habitually)?'
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the present indicative form of the verb fare, which means 'to do' or 'to make'.
Did you know?
- If you are texting a close friend, you might see 'che fai' abbreviated as k fai, where the letter k replaces the word che.
- The verb fare in Che fai? is the root of the English word 'farewell', as 'fare' originally meant to travel or go.
- While Che fai? asks about an activity, adding a simple di bello to create Che fai di bello? changes the nuance to 'What are you up to?' and implies the speaker hopes you are doing something fun.
Examples in context
- Cosa sta facendo in questo momento?What are you doing at this moment?
- Sta svolgendo qualche attività specifica?Are you engaging in any specific activities?
- Cosa fai?What are you doing?
- Che stai combinando?What are you up to?
- Cosa stai facendo di bello?What cool things are you doing?
- Ciao Marco! Cosa fai?Hi Marco! What are you doing?
- Che fai? Ti va di uscire?What are you doing? Do you want to go out?
Example conversation
Two friends are chatting via text message during the afternoon.
- SofiaEhi, che fai?Hey, what are you doing?
- FrancescoNiente di speciale, guardo la TV. E tu?Nothing special, I'm watching TV. And you?
- SofiaStudio un po' per l'esame.I'm studying a bit for the exam.
- FrancescoBuona fortuna, Sofia!Good luck, Sofia!
