“What Do You Do?” vs. “What Are You Doing?”: What’s the Difference?

Jun 8, 2023
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The difference between “what do you do?” and “what are you doing?”

  • "What do you do?" is related to someone's profession or occupation, while "What are you doing?" is related to someone's current activity or task.
  • "What do you do?" is a more formal question, while "What are you doing?" can be used in casual conversations.
  • The answer to "What do you do?" is usually a job title or a brief description, while the answer to "What are you doing?" is a description of the task or activity being performed at the current moment.
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What is the definition of “what do you do?” and “what are you doing?”?

What do you do?
  • This phrase is used to ask someone about their profession or occupation.
  • It is generally used as a conversation starter or to get to know someone.
  • The answer to this question is usually a short and concise description of the person's job.
What are you doing?
  • This phrase is used to inquire about the activity someone is engaged in at the present moment.
  • It is generally used to initiate small talk or to show interest in someone's activities.
  • The answer to this question is usually a brief description of the task or activity the person is currently doing.

Which is the more popular variant on the Internet?

“What do you do?” is the more popular variant on the web.
More popular
What do you do?
193,000,000 results on the web
Examples
  1. What do you do for a living?
  2. What do you do in your free time?
  3. What do you do to stay healthy?
What are you doing?
38,800,000 results on the web
Examples
  1. What are you doing right now?
  2. What are you doing this weekend?
  3. What are you doing for lunch?
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