你在做什么？
nǐ zài zuò shénme?
What you doing · trad. 你在做什麼？
你在做什么？ (nǐ zài zuò shénme?) is the most common and direct way to ask "What are you doing?" in Mandarin Chinese. It's used to inquire about someone's current activity or what they are up to.
What does 你在做什么？ (nǐ zài zuò shénme?) mean?
你在做什么？ (nǐ zài zuò shénme?) means “what you doing” in English. Word for word, it breaks down as “you at do what?”
When to use it
Neutral. For a more casual and friendly tone, especially among friends, you can say 干什么呢？ (gàn shénme ne?). If you want to ask what someone is busy with, use 在忙什么呢？ (zài máng shénme ne?).
How to pronounce it
Sounds roughly like "nee ZAIH tswore SHEN-muh?" The '在' is a falling tone, '做' is a falling tone, and '什么' has a neutral tone on '么'.
Other ways to say it
- 干什么呢？gàn shénme ne?What are you doing? (casual)
- 在忙什么呢？zài máng shénme ne?What are you busy with? / What are you up to? (friendly)
- 你干嘛呢？nǐ gànmá ne?What are you doing? (very casual, sometimes implies surprise or slight impatience)
Examples
你在做什么？我能帮你吗？
nǐ zài zuò shénme? wǒ néng bāng nǐ ma?
What are you doing? Can I help you?
喂，你在做什么呢？
wèi, nǐ zài zuò shénme ne?
Hey, what are you doing? (often used on the phone)
你一直在看手机，你在做什么？
nǐ yīzhí zài kàn shǒujī, nǐ zài zuò shénme?
You've been looking at your phone, what are you doing?
Pro tip: The particle 在 (zài) before the verb is crucial here, indicating an ongoing action, much like the "-ing" form in English. Without it, 你做什么？ (nǐ zuò shénme?) can also mean "What do you do?" (as in profession or habit).
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