你在做什么？

Learning Chinese: How to Ask "What Are You Doing?"

Chinese Characters: 你在做什么？
Pinyin: nǐ zài zuò shén me？
Pronunciation: ni3 zai4 zuo4 shen2 me
English Translation: What are you doing?

Usage:

"你在做什么？(nǐ zài zuò shén me？)" is a common question used to ask someone what they are currently doing or what their plans are. It can be used in both formal and informal settings.

Example:

Chinese: 你在做什么？
Pinyin: Nǐ zài zuò shén me？
English: What are you doing?

Variations:

There are a few variations of "你在做什么？(nǐ zài zuò shén me？)" that you may hear:

你现在在做什么？(nǐ xiàn zài zài zuò shén me？): A more specific way to ask what someone is doing right now.
你最近在做什么？(nǐ zuì jìn zài zuò shén me？): A way to ask what someone has been up to lately.

Tips for Learning:

Practice saying "你在做什么？(nǐ zài zuò shén me？)" out loud to improve your pronunciation.
Listen to native Chinese speakers asking "what are you doing?" to get a sense of the natural rhythm and intonation.
Use "你在做什么？(nǐ zài zuò shén me？)" in your daily conversations to practice using it in context.

Additional Notes:

"你在做什么？(nǐ zài zuò shén me？)" is a versatile question that can be used in a variety of situations.
It is important to use the correct tone when asking this question. A rising tone at the end of the sentence indicates that you are asking a question, while a falling tone indicates that you are making a statement.
You can also use "你在做什么？(nǐ zài zuò shén me？)" to ask someone about their job or occupation. In this case, you would say "你做什么工作？(nǐ zuò shén me gōng zuò？)", which means "what do you do for work?"