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How To Say what are you doing in German

“Was machst du?” or what are you doing is a common phrase in the German language. And pretty much every other language for that matter. In Germany, they do not use the “ing” endings for describing running verbs. Examples of this are (To run, not running. To become, not becoming. So the closest they can get is “Was machst du?” which translated to English would come out more like “What do you do?” This will be understood by whomever you are speaking to.

The way you say it will also differ depending on who you are speaking with. If you are talking with an elderly gentleman you would say “Was machen Sie?.”, as this is more formal. “Was machen du?” is considered informal and would be used when addressing a friend or sibling.

Examples of how to say what are you doing in German

“Was machst Sie Oma, brauchst du Hilfe?”
“What are you doing Grandma, do you need help?”

“Was tust du? Warum trägst du mein Lieblingshemd Gretta?”
“What are you doing? Why are you wearing my favorite shirt Gretta?.”

“Was machst du heute beim Fußballtraining?”
“What are you doing at soccer practise today?”