<p>We usually don't say "你做什么(ni zuo shen me)". We only say it when we are shocked, like when you just meet a man trying to robber you, you'll say that to him.</p>

<p>If you're asking someone what are you doing, you should use "你在做什么(ni zai zuo shen me)".</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-24T15:02:16.703Z
2018-07-24T15:02:16.703Z
NoobTW
<p>There is more than one way to skin a cat and more than one way to express oneself. Here a couple of suggestions which may fit in certain circumstances. You can listen and read the words.</p>

<p>Listen <a href="https://www.xiami.com/play?ids=/song/playlist/id/70728/object_name/default/object_id/0#loaded" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>(张国荣)
Where are you?
你在何地</p>

<p>Listen <a href="http://bd.kuwo.cn/yinyue/891952?from=baidu" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>
Where are you all now?
你们如今在何方</p>

<p>What are you doing?!</p>

<p>你在干什么？
What are you doing?</p>

<p>What the hell are you doing? （a little angry)
你到底在干吗？ </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-20T23:09:08.530Z
2018-06-20T23:09:08.530Z
Pedroski
<p>I would add 在 to make 你<strong>在</strong>做什么？</p>

<p>In this case, 在 would make the equivalent of the English present progressive VERB<em>ing</em> ending.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-23T13:23:04.687Z
2020-02-23T13:23:04.687Z
Yoav Vollansky
<p>The first sentence is perfectly fine:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Where are you?<br />
你在哪儿？<br />
<sub>Nǐ zài nǎr?</sub></p>
</blockquote>
<p>The usage of 在 (zài) = &quot;to be located at&quot; here is different to its usage in the second part.</p>
<p>With regards to the second sentence, the 在 (zài) indicates an action in progress, in this case it modifies the verb 做 (zuò) = &quot;to do&quot;.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>What are you doing?<br />
你<strong>在</strong>做什么？<br />
<sub>Nǐ <strong>zài</strong> zuò shénme?</sub></p>
</blockquote>
<p>I don't believe it's grammatically incorrect without the 在 (zài), but it's ambiguous and unusual.  Typically we would hear it in:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>What's your job?<br />
你做什么工作？<br />
<sub>Nǐ zuò shénme gōngzuò?</sub></p>
<p>What should I do?<br />
我应该做什么?<br />
<sub>Wǒ yīnggāi zuò shénme?</sub></p>
</blockquote>
<hr />
<p>The distinction may be clearer if we replace 做 (zuò) = &quot;to do&quot; with 吃 (chī) = &quot;to eat&quot;.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>What are you eating?<br />
你<strong>在</strong>吃什么？<br />
<sub>Nǐ <strong>zài</strong> chī shénme?</sub></p>
<p>What do you eat?<br />
你吃什么？<br />
Nǐ chī shénme?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The first question is about what you are currently eating (&quot;I'm currently eating M&amp;M's&quot;).  The second question is about what you generally eat (&quot;I eat vegetarian food&quot;).</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-23T13:15:11.570Z
2020-02-23T13:15:11.570Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Becky 李蓓
<blockquote>
  <p>Where are you? What are you doing?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I translated this to:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Ni zai nar? Ni zuo shenme?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>But I found</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Ni zai zuo shenme?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>online.  How is it zai zuo (in + to do)? Is it correct if I just say zuo (to do)?? Does it express the right meaning?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-20T08:01:17.060Z
`zai` in "Ni zai nar?" is a preposition, meaning "in; at". `zai+Verb` in "Ni zai zuo shenme?" is an adverb, expressing continuation of an action, in other words: `V-ing`. It's okay to omit `zai` and just say "Ni zuo shenme?"
Reynaldi
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-20T09:21:45.473Z
usually called "progressive aspect" 动作的进行 most recently discussed in https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/30209/using-xi%c3%a0nz%c3%a0i-and-zh%c3%a8ngz%c3%a0i-in-a-single-sentence
user6065
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-28T19:27:37.530Z
You're all good at grammar. What I want to say is: "zai" can also be "zhengzai"(正在). You may say "Ni zhengzai zuo shenme?", but this would be more formal than "Ni zai zuo shenme?"
Bruce Huang
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-23T14:07:23.167Z
I say Ni zai zuo shenme? only when I want to know what you are doing right now, like when I call someone on the phone and want to know that. The "zai" is actually short for 现在, (Xiàn zài)
Wayne Cheah
<word-choice>
Does "Ni zai nar? Ni zuo shenme?" correctly express "Where are you? What are you doing?"
# Does "Ni zai nar? Ni zuo shenme?" correctly express "Where are you? What are you doing?"

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-06-20)

> Where are you? What are you doing?

I translated this to:

> Ni zai nar? Ni zuo shenme?

But I found

> Ni zai zuo shenme?

online. How is it zai zuo (in + to do)? Is it correct if I just say zuo (to do)?? Does it express the right meaning?

**Tags:** word-choice

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: `zai` in "Ni zai nar?" is a preposition, meaning "in; at". `zai+Verb` in "Ni zai zuo shenme?" is an adverb, expressing continuation of an action, in other words: `V-ing`. It's okay to omit `zai` and just say "Ni zuo shenme?"  
> **username_2**: usually called "progressive aspect" 动作的进行 most recently discussed in https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/30209/using-xi%c3%a0nz%c3%a0i-and-zh%c3%a8ngz%c3%a0i-in-a-single-sentence  
> **username_3**: You're all good at grammar. What I want to say is: "zai" can also be "zhengzai"(正在). You may say "Ni zhengzai zuo shenme?", but this would be more formal than "Ni zai zuo shenme?"  
> **username_4**: I say Ni zai zuo shenme? only when I want to know what you are doing right now, like when I call someone on the phone and want to know that. The "zai" is actually short for 现在, (Xiàn zài)  

---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2018-07-24. Score: 2

We usually don't say "你做什么(ni zuo shen me)". We only say it when we are shocked, like when you just meet a man trying to robber you, you'll say that to him.

If you're asking someone what are you doing, you should use "你在做什么(ni zai zuo shen me)".


---

### Answer by username_6 on 2018-06-20. Score: 0

There is more than one way to skin a cat and more than one way to express oneself. Here a couple of suggestions which may fit in certain circumstances. You can listen and read the words.

Listen [here](https://www.xiami.com/play?ids=/song/playlist/id/70728/object_name/default/object_id/0#loaded)(张国荣)
Where are you?
你在何地

Listen [here](http://bd.kuwo.cn/yinyue/891952?from=baidu)
Where are you all now?
你们如今在何方

What are you doing?!

你在干什么？
What are you doing?

What the hell are you doing? （a little angry)
你到底在干吗？


---

### Answer by username_7 on 2020-02-23. Score: 0

I would add 在 to make 你**在**做什么？

In this case, 在 would make the equivalent of the English present progressive VERB*ing* ending.


---

### Answer by username_8 on 2020-02-23. Score: 0

The first sentence is perfectly fine:

> Where are you?  
> 你在哪儿？  
> Nǐ zài nǎr?

The usage of 在 (zài) = "to be located at" here is different to its usage in the second part.

With regards to the second sentence, the 在 (zài) indicates an action in progress, in this case it modifies the verb 做 (zuò) = "to do".

> What are you doing?  
> 你**在**做什么？  
> Nǐ **zài** zuò shénme?

I don't believe it's grammatically incorrect without the 在 (zài), but it's ambiguous and unusual. Typically we would hear it in:

> What's your job?  
> 你做什么工作？  
> Nǐ zuò shénme gōngzuò?
>
> What should I do?  
> 我应该做什么?  
> Wǒ yīnggāi zuò shénme?

---

The distinction may be clearer if we replace 做 (zuò) = "to do" with 吃 (chī) = "to eat".

> What are you eating?  
> 你**在**吃什么？  
> Nǐ **zài** chī shénme?
>
> What do you eat?  
> 你吃什么？  
> Nǐ chī shénme?

The first question is about what you are currently eating ("I'm currently eating M&M's"). The second question is about what you generally eat ("I eat vegetarian food").


---

