How to Say "What Are You Doing?" in Spanish

Quick Answer

What are you doing? =

• ¿Qué estás haciendo?or ¿Qué haces?(informal)

• ¿Qué está haciendo?or ¿Qué hace?(formal)

Tú vs. Usted

You is translated into Spanish in many different ways. Use the handy table below to help you decide which form you need to use.

Form	Used With	Spanish
Tú (informal second person singular)	a single person who is the same age as you or younger	¿Qué estás haciendo?or ¿Qué haces?
Usted (formal second person singular)	a single person who is older than you or to whom you want to show respect	¿Qué está haciendo?or ¿Qué hace?

Take a look at some examples below:

examples
¿Qué estás haciendo? - Nada. ¿Vamos al cine? What are you doing? - Nothing. Do you want to go to the movies?
¿Qué hace, abuelo? No puede meter un recipiente de plástico al horno. What are you doing, Grandpa? You can't put a plastic container in the oven.

Looking for more on the different ways to say you in Spanish? Check out our article here!

Why not brush up on some fundamental Spanish phrases? Check out these articles to keep learning!

• How to Say "Good Morning" in Spanish

• How to Say "Goodbye" in Spanish

• What Does "¿Qué Pasa?" Mean?

• Responses to "¿Qué Pasa?"

• What Does "¿Cómo Está Usted?" Mean?

• What Does "Está Bien" Mean?

• Polite Restaurant Phrases in Spanish

• Expressions with "Hacer"