Angela
I wanted to ask my friend what has he done recently and I made a question “What have you done recently?” But to me it doesn’t sound natural and correct 🙈 can you help me ? How can I ask this question in a natural way?
Dec 16, 2024 9:12 AM
Answers · 10
2
What have you been done recently?
December 16, 2024
2
What have you been doing recently? This also works.
December 16, 2024
2
Hi Anzhela. If you haven't talked to your friend for a month or so, you could say: "What have you been up to?" This is very colloquial between friends or family.
December 16, 2024
1
What’s up lately? What have you been up to lately? What’s new with you these days? Have you done anything interesting lately?
December 16, 2024
1
"What have you done recently?" is correct, but this question is very specific. In most cases, you would not say this. The question demands a specific answer. To answer it, the friend must say something specific, like "I finished the Spanish course I was taking." If you want to adopt a friendlier tone that leaves the option of a nonspecific or rambling response, then say "What have you been doing?" or, as Paul suggested, "What have you been up to?" The reason that "doing" sounds so much friendlier and open than "done" is that present participles are imprecise. They create images open to interpretation. Present participles can mean almost anything the speaker wants them to mean, so long as that meaning remain connected to the underlying verb.
December 16, 2024
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