Different Ways to Say 'What Are You Doing' in Mandarin

One of the common ways to say hello to a friend in Chinese is by asking "what are you doing". It's almost like saying "how are you" in English, where you don't necessarily expect an answer. Instead, it's just an expression people use to greet each other. Watch this video and learn 8 ways of how to say what are you doing in Chinese!

How to Say 

What Are You Doing in Chinese

    nǐ  zài zuò shén me？

1. 你 在  做    什   么？

what are you doing

One of the common ways to say "Hi" in Chinese is to say "What are you doing". The standard way to say what are you doing in Chinese is 你在做什么. It is the expression that you would expect to see in a textbook, or in a dictionary.

    nǐ zài gàn shén me

2. 你 在 干     什   么

what are you doing 

Compared with 你在做什么, you might hear 你在干什么 more in daily conversation. It is most often used in spoken language.

How to Say What Are You Doing in Mandarin Chinese in a More Casual Way

    nǐ zài gàn má ne

3. 你在  干   嘛 呢

what are you doing

How to say what are you doing in Chinese to a close friend? You can use 你在干嘛呢. It also has two short forms: 你干嘛呢 or 干嘛呢.

    gàn má ne nǐ

4. 干   嘛  呢你

what are you doing

Normally, in Chinese the sentence word order is "SUBJECT - VERB - OBJECT", but sometimes for emphasis or other purposes, people put the subject at the end of a sentence. So we can also say what are you doing by saying 干嘛你呢.

How to Say

Do You Have Any Plans in Chinese

     nǐ yǒu 'ān pái le ma

5. 你 有  安  排  了吗

Do you have plans

If it's on a specific day, you can ask 你____有安排了吗, putting the TIME WORD in the blank. Here are some examples:

nǐ jīn tiān yǒu 'ān pái le ma

你今 天   有   安 排 了吗？ 

Do you have any plans for today?

nǐ shǔ jià yǒu 'ān pái le ma

你  暑 假 有   安 排 了吗？ 

Do you have any plans for the summer vacation?

    nǐ yǒu shén me 'ān pái ma

6. 你 有   什    么  安 排  吗

Do you have any plans

Another way of how to say what are you doing in Chinese is 你有什么安排吗? Also, you can put the TIME WORD in the blank, like so, 你____有什么安排吗. Examples:

nǐ míng tiān yǒu shén me 'ān pái ma

你   明  天   有    什   么   安 排 吗？ 

Do you have any plans for tomorrow?

How to Say

What Are You Going To Do in Chinese

    nǐ yǒu shén me dǎ suàn

7. 你 有    什   么  打  算

What are you planning to do

In Chinese, 安排 ān pái and 打算 dǎ suàn both mean plan, but 打算 is more casual and relaxed. Also you can add the TIME WORD in the blank:

 你____有什么打算? Here are some examples:

nǐ xià ge yuè yǒu shén me dǎ suàn

你下  个  月  有    什    么 打  算？  

Do you have any plans next month?

nǐ bì yè yǐ hòu yǒu shén me dǎ suàn

你毕业以 后   有      什  么  打 算？ 

Do you have any plans after graduating?

     nǐ dǎ suàn zuò shén me

8. 你 打   算    做    什   么

What are you planning to do

How to say what are you going to do in Chinese? Just add the verb 打算 before the second verb 做, and say 你打算做什么. Such sentences are called 连动句 lián dòng jù in Chinese, meaning there are more than one verbs together. Also, TIME WORD can be added in the blank: 

你____打算做什么? Examples:

nǐ jīn tiān wǎn shàng dǎ suàn zuò shén me

你今 天    晚    上     打   算    做   什   么？  

What are you doing tonight?

nǐ zhè ge zhōu mò dǎ suàn zuò shén me

你 这  个   周   末  打  算    做    什   么？  

What are you doing this weekend?

---

The above contents are provided by  YouPanda.

Don't forget to share this article with friends by pressing the top right corner. 

What are some of your favorite Mandarin phrases and buzzwords! Comment below!

Editor's Pick

---