How to Say 'What Are You Doing?' in Spanish: 15 Natural Phrases

The usual way to say “What are you doing?” in Spanish is ¿Qué haces? /ke a.ses/. If you mean “What are you doing right now?”, use ¿Qué estás haciendo? /ke esˈtas aˈθjen.do/ in most of Spain, or /ke esˈtas aˈsjen.do/ across most of Latin America. Both are natural, but the second phrase puts more emphasis on the action happening at this exact moment.

Spanish is spoken officially in 20 countries, and the Instituto Cervantes reports that nearly 600 million people use Spanish worldwide in some capacity. That reach means you will hear several regional versions of this question, from Mexico’s relaxed ¿Qué onda? /ke ˈon.da/ to Argentina’s ¿Qué hacés? /ke aˈses/.

Before learning the alternatives, get comfortable with basic Spanish greetings. A casual question about what someone is doing often comes immediately after a greeting.

The two essential phrases

¿Qué haces?

¿Qué haces? /ke a.ses/ is the everyday question you need first. It literally contains qué /ke/, meaning “what,” and haces /ˈa.ses/, the informal tú /tu/ form of hacer /aˈθeɾ/ or /aˈseɾ/, “to do” or “to make.”

In conversation, context determines whether it means “What are you doing?” or “What do you do?” If your friend is silent on a video call and you ask ¿Qué haces?, you mean “What are you doing right now?” If you meet someone new and ask ¿A qué te dedicas? /a ke te deˈði.kas/ or /a ke te deˈdi.kas/, you are asking what they do for work.

Use it with friends, siblings, classmates, a romantic partner, or someone you address with tú /tu/. It is especially useful in texts because the short form does not feel abrupt when the relationship is already casual.

For example:

• ¿Qué haces después de clase? /ke a.ses desˈpwes de ˈkla.se/ means “What are you doing after class?”
• ¿Qué haces este fin de semana? /ke a.ses ˈes.te fin de seˈma.na/ means “What are you doing this weekend?”
• ¿Qué haces aquí? /ke a.ses aˈki/ means “What are you doing here?”

That final version can be warm, surprised, suspicious, or angry. In a drama scene, a character saying ¿Qué haces aquí? may be expressing disbelief rather than making casual small talk. Watching scenes with visible facial expressions helps you hear that distinction, which is one reason learning Spanish with movies and TV shows is useful.

¿Qué estás haciendo?

¿Qué estás haciendo? /ke esˈtas aˈθjen.do/ or /ke esˈtas aˈsjen.do/ is more specific. It uses estar /esˈtaɾ/ plus the gerund haciendo /aˈθjen.do/ or /aˈsjen.do/, the standard Spanish pattern for an action in progress.

The grammar is similar to English “are doing,” but Spanish does not require this progressive structure as often as English does. Native speakers can say either ¿Qué haces? or ¿Qué estás haciendo? when asking about the present moment.

The Real Academia Española and the Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española describe the progressive construction as an aspectual form: it presents an action as unfolding. In practical terms, ¿Qué estás haciendo? sounds especially natural when you have caught someone in the middle of something.

Compare these situations:

Casual ways to ask what someone is up to

¿Qué andas haciendo?

¿Qué andas haciendo? /ke ˈan.das aˈθjen.do/ or /ke ˈan.das aˈsjen.do/ is a relaxed way to ask “What are you up to?” It suggests curiosity about someone’s recent activities, not only the exact second you are speaking.

The verb andar /anˈdaɾ/ literally means “to walk” in many contexts, but with a gerund it can give an action a looser, ongoing sense. You might ask it after not hearing from a friend for several days.

¿Qué andas haciendo últimamente? /ke ˈan.das aˈsjen.do ul.ti.maˈmen.te/
What have you been up to lately?

This phrasing is friendly and widely understood, though frequency varies by country. Francisco Moreno Fernández’s work on Spanish varieties emphasizes that grammar and vocabulary change across regions without making one regional form less valid.

¿Qué haces por aquí?

¿Qué haces por aquí? /ke a.ses poɾ aˈki/ means “What are you doing around here?” Use it when you unexpectedly see someone in a neighborhood, café, event, or workplace.

It often carries a pleasant note of surprise:

¡Hola! ¿Qué haces por aquí? /ˈo.la ke a.ses poɾ aˈki/
Hi! What are you doing around here?

Do not use this for an online text unless “here” has a clear meaning, such as a shared online event or game. In person, the physical setting supplies the meaning.

¿Qué tal?

¿Qué tal? /ke ˈtal/ usually means “How’s it going?” rather than literally “What are you doing?” Still, it can work as a broad casual opener when you want to know what is happening in someone’s life.

A friend may answer Bien, aquí trabajando /bjen aˈki tɾa.baˈxan.do/, meaning “Good, just working here.” The answer can naturally lead into a more direct question about plans or activities.

If you need more ways to open a casual conversation, see how to say how are you in Spanish.

Asking about plans instead of current activity

English “What are you doing?” often means “Do you have plans?” Spanish has several precise ways to express that intent.

¿Qué planes tienes?

¿Qué planes tienes? /ke ˈpla.nes ˈtje.nes/ means “What plans do you have?” It is direct but friendly, particularly when you add a time expression.

• ¿Qué planes tienes para el fin de semana? /ke ˈpla.nes ˈtje.nes ˈpa.ɾa el fin de seˈma.na/
• ¿Tienes planes para mañana? /ˈtje.nes ˈpla.nes ˈpa.ɾa maˈɲa.na/
• ¿Ya tienes planes para esta noche? /ʝa ˈtje.nes ˈpla.nes ˈpa.ɾa ˈes.ta ˈno.tʃe/

This wording is ideal if you want to invite someone somewhere. It avoids sounding like you are monitoring their present activity.

¿Qué vas a hacer?

¿Qué vas a hacer? /ke βas a aˈθeɾ/ or /ke βas a aˈseɾ/ means “What are you going to do?” It asks about a future action, whether that future is later today or next month.

Spanish frequently uses ir a /iɾ a/ plus an infinitive for near-future intentions. For a clear explanation of this construction, review the Spanish future tense guide.

Polite and formal versions

Spanish has an important distinction between informal tú /tu/ and formal usted /usˈteð/ or /usˈted/. The exact rules vary by country, age, workplace, and personal relationship.

To ask a person you address as usted /usˈteð/ or /usˈted/, say:

• ¿Qué está haciendo? /ke esˈta aˈθjen.do/ or /ke esˈta aˈsjen.do/
• ¿Qué va a hacer? /ke βa a aˈθeɾ/ or /ke βa a aˈseɾ/
• ¿Qué planes tiene para hoy? /ke ˈpla.nes ˈtje.ne ˈpa.ɾa oj/

The pronoun usted /usˈteð/ or /usˈted/ is usually omitted because the verb already signals formality. Saying ¿Qué está haciendo usted? is grammatically correct, but it adds emphasis and can sound more pointed depending on tone.

For the broader choice between informal and formal address, read our guide to tú vs usted in Spanish.

Regional phrases you may hear

¿Qué onda?

¿Qué onda? /ke ˈon.da/ is particularly associated with Mexico, though it is understood more widely. Its literal noun onda /ˈon.da/ means “wave,” but the expression means “What’s up?” or “What’s going on?”

Depending on context, it can be a greeting, a request for news, or a question about current activity.

¿Qué onda, qué haces? /ke ˈon.da ke a.ses/
What’s up, what are you doing?

Keep it for friends and peers. It is too informal for a job interview, a professor you do not know, or a customer-service interaction.

¿Qué hacés?

In Argentina, Uruguay, and nearby areas, you will often hear ¿Qué hacés? /ke aˈses/ rather than ¿Qué haces? /ke a.ses/. This is voseo, the use of vos /bos/ instead of tú /tu/.

The meaning is the same, but the stress shifts to the final syllable. If an Argentine friend says ¿Qué hacés?, replying with Nada, ¿y vos? /ˈna.ða i βos/ is completely natural.

¿Qué estás haciendo, che?

In Argentina, che /tʃe/ is a familiar attention-getter similar to “hey” or “mate,” depending on the relationship and English variety. ¿Qué estás haciendo, che? /ke esˈtas aˈsjendo tʃe/ can sound warm and local, but learners should not add che /tʃe/ everywhere.

Common mistakes to avoid

Do not translate English word for word

Avoid ¿Qué eres haciendo? /ke ˈe.ɾes aˈsjen.do/. Spanish uses estar /esˈtaɾ/, not ser /seɾ/, for actions in progress.

Correct: ¿Qué estás haciendo? /ke esˈtas aˈsjen.do/.

Also avoid adding tú /tu/ unless you need contrast or emphasis. ¿Qué haces? /ke a.ses/ already means “What do you do?” with “you” built into haces /ˈa.ses/.

Do not use the progressive for every future plan

English allows “What are you doing tomorrow?” Spanish can say ¿Qué haces mañana? /ke a.ses maˈɲa.na/ naturally. You do not need ¿Qué estás haciendo mañana? /ke esˈtas aˈsjen.do maˈɲa.na/, which can sound less natural unless the situation specifically supports an ongoing arrangement.

Watch your tone in texts

A bare ¿Qué haces? /ke a.ses/ is common between friends. But if you have not spoken to someone for a long time, a warmer opener can make it friendlier:

¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás? ¿Qué haces esta tarde? /ˈo.la ˈko.mo esˈtas ke a.ses ˈes.ta ˈtaɾ.ðe/
Hi! How are you? What are you doing this afternoon?

That small greeting helps the message feel social rather than demanding. When you are ready to close the conversation, these Spanish goodbye phrases will keep the tone natural.

Practice with real Spanish dialogue

The fastest way to make these phrases automatic is to hear them attached to a situation. Pause a Spanish-language scene when someone calls a friend, notices a surprise visitor, or makes weekend plans. Predict whether they will use ¿Qué haces? /ke a.ses/, ¿Qué estás haciendo? /ke esˈtas aˈsjen.do/, or ¿Qué planes tienes? /ke ˈpla.nes ˈtje.nes/.

Then repeat the full line with the speaker’s rhythm, not only the individual words. Spanish usually links words smoothly, so qué estás haciendo /ke esˈtas aˈsjen.do/ should feel like one connected unit rather than three separate English-style beats.

Start with ¿Qué haces? /ke a.ses/ for everyday messages, choose ¿Qué estás haciendo? /ke esˈtas aˈsjen.do/ for something visibly happening now, and use ¿Qué planes tienes? /ke ˈpla.nes ˈtje.nes/ when you mean future plans. Those three phrases cover the vast majority of real conversations.