¿Qué haces?
casual, texting
WYD means "what are you doing", and in Mexican Spanish the quick version is ¿Qué haces? Friends also write ¿Qué andas haciendo? or the fuller ¿Qué estás haciendo?
Meaning: asking what someone is doing right now (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Mexican | Note |
|---|---|
| ¿Qué haces? | casual, texting |
| ¿Qué estás haciendo? | neutral |
| ¿Qué andas haciendo? | casual, Mexico |
In messages many people shorten it to ¿Qué haces? or ¿Qué onda? when they just want to start a chat. It is a friendly opener and nothing more.
Which one should you use?
¿Qué andas haciendo? sounds relaxed and a little curious, as if you were asking what someone is up to these days. ¿Qué estás haciendo? is the textbook form.
How does it change in a sentence?
With someone you address as usted the question becomes ¿Qué hace?, but WYD is almost always used with friends, so tú forms are the normal ones.
Did you know?
- In Mexico ahorita means "right now" or "in a little while" depending on context, which makes ¿Qué haces ahorita? a very common text.
Examples in context
- ¿Qué haces? ¿Salimos hoy?What are you doing? Shall we go out today?
- ¿Qué andas haciendo, bro?What are you up to, bro?
- ¿Qué estás haciendo ahorita?What are you doing right now?
Example conversation
Karla texts her friend Paola on a Saturday afternoon.
- KarlaHola Pao, ¿qué haces?Hi Pao, what are you doing?
- PaolaNada, aquí viendo una serie. ¿Y tú?Nothing, just watching a series. And you?
- KarlaPensaba en ir por unos tacos.I was thinking of going for some tacos.
- PaolaVa, paso por ti en media hora.Sure, I will pick you up in half an hour.
