Spanish · Home, Clothes & Daily Life
"What are you doing?" in Spanish: ¿Qué estás haciendo?
¿Qué estás haciendo?
What are you doing? is ¿Qué estás haciendo? Ask ¿Qué estás haciendo? for right now. With usted: ¿Qué está haciendo?
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How to pronounce ¿Qué estás haciendo?
Say it
keh ehs-TAHS ah-SYEN-doh
/ke esˈtas aˈsjen.do/
keh ehs-TAHS ah-SYEN-doh. Stress TAHS and SYEN.
"What are you doing?" in Spanish: quick reference
| Spanish | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Qué estás haciendo? | What are you doing? Tu, right now. | Tu, right now. |
| ¿Qué estás haciendo ahora? | What are you doing now? Adds ahora. | Adds ahora. |
| ¿Qué haces? | What are you doing / What do you do? Shorter; can mean habits too. | Shorter; can mean habits too. |
| ¿Qué está haciendo? | What are you doing? (usted) Polite singular. | Polite singular. |
How to use ¿Qué estás haciendo? in real life
- 1Video call
Hola. ¿Qué estás haciendo?
Hi. What are you doing?
Full ¿Qué estás haciendo?
- 2Busy roommate
¿Qué estás haciendo en la cocina?
What are you doing in the kitchen?
Place + ¿Qué estás haciendo?
- 3Soft check-in
Oye, ¿qué estás haciendo?
Hey, what are you doing?
Casual ¿qué estás haciendo?
Mistakes English speakers make with ¿Qué estás haciendo?
Incorrect: ¿Qué tú haciendo?
Correct: ¿Qué estás haciendo?
Need estás: ¿Qué estás haciendo?
Incorrect: What are you doing?
Correct: ¿Qué estás haciendo?
Use the Spanish headword.
Good to know
¿Qué estás haciendo? is right-now talk among friends. ¿Qué haces? can mean habits or a job. With strangers, usted form ¿Qué está haciendo? sounds more polite.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Calling a friend mid-afternoon
ChatPal
¿Qué estás haciendo?
What are you doing?
You
Nada. ¿Qué estás haciendo tú?
Nothing. What are you doing?
ChatPal
Cocino arroz.
I'm cooking rice.
You
Qué rico.
Yum.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"What are you doing?" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "What are you doing?" in Spanish
How do you say what are you doing?
¿Qué estás haciendo?
Qué estás haciendo vs qué haces?
¿Qué estás haciendo? is right now; ¿Qué haces? can be broader.
Usted form?
¿Qué está haciendo?
How do you pronounce haciendo?
ah-SYEN-doh. Soft c like s in Latin America.
Learn a word, then use it out loud
- Step 1: See it in context
- Step 2: Say it out loud
- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
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