How to say “What are you doing today?” in Portuguese

Introduction

Learning how to ask about someone’s plans is a practical step for Brazilian Portuguese learners. This article focuses on different ways to say What are you doing today? in Brazilian Portuguese, with examples, variations, responses, and usage notes to help you sound natural in casual and formal situations.

Basic translation: direct and polite forms

The most straightforward way to ask What are you doing today? in Brazilian Portuguese is the question O que você vai fazer hoje? This is polite and commonly used in both spoken and written Portuguese. It uses the verb fazer (to do/make) with the auxiliary verb ir (to go) to express future intention.

Another common phrasing is O que você está fazendo hoje? This version uses the present continuous tense and asks What are you doing today? as if you expect the action to be happening or planned right now.

When to use each form

Use O que você vai fazer hoje? when asking about someone’s plans or intentions for the day. It fits situations like planning to meet or arranging activities.

Use O que você está fazendo hoje? if you want to know what someone is in the middle of doing or what they are doing today in the present moment. Native speakers sometimes use it interchangeably in casual conversation, so both are useful to learn.

Alternative and colloquial expressions

Brazilian Portuguese has many informal ways to ask about plans. These are great for conversations with friends and family.

O que você vai fazer hoje à noite? — What are you doing tonight? Use this to specify the evening.

Vai fazer o que hoje? — What are you going to do today? This is very colloquial and common in spoken Portuguese.

Que que você vai fazer hoje? — What are you going to do today? Note that que que is an informal contraction of o que plus a filler particle; it appears in relaxed speech.

Tem planos para hoje? — Do you have plans for today? This is a friendly, natural way to ask if someone is available.

Vai fazer algo hoje? — Are you doing anything today? Use this when you want to invite someone or check availability.

Regional and informal variants

In some regions, especially in the South and Southeast, you might hear O que cê vai fazer hoje? or Cê vai fazer o quê hoje? These use the reduced pronoun cê (short for você) and are common in rapid speech.

Brazilian Portuguese lovers should be aware that tone, context, and body language often determine formality more than the exact words. Use these informal variants with friends and peers, but stick to the full forms in professional contexts.

Using tu and você: pronoun differences

Brazilian Portuguese mainly uses two second-person pronouns: você and, in some regions, tu. The verb conjugation changes depending on the pronoun.

With você, you say O que você vai fazer hoje? or O que você está fazendo hoje?

With tu, commonly used in parts of the South and North of Brazil, the conjugation can be either the European style tu fazes or a mixed colloquial style tu vai. Standard forms include O que tu vais fazer hoje? or O que tu fazes hoje? Some speakers prefer Tu vai fazer o quê hoje? in casual speech.

Usage note on verb agreement

For learners, the safest approach is to memorize the standard pairings: você with third-person singular verbs (vai, está, faz) and tu with second-person singular conjugations where regionally appropriate. When in doubt, use você — it is widely accepted across Brazil.

Sample conversations: casual and formal

Here are natural dialogues to show context, tone, and likely responses.

Casual, meeting a friend in the morning:
Amigo A: O que você vai fazer hoje?
Amigo B: Vou ao shopping e depois vou encontrar a família. — I’m going to the mall and then I’ll meet my family.

Informal with contraction:
Pessoa A: Que que você vai fazer hoje?
Pessoa B: Não sei, talvez fique em casa e assista a séries. — I don’t know, maybe stay home and watch series.

Formal or workplace setting:
Colega A: O que você está fazendo hoje?
Colega B: Estou trabalhando no relatório e tenho uma reunião às três. — I’m working on the report and I have a meeting at three.

Evening plans:
Amiga A: O que você vai fazer hoje à noite?
Amiga B: Vou sair com uns amigos para jantar. — I’m going out with some friends for dinner.

Common responses and how to reply naturally

When someone asks what you are doing today, you can reply with simple verbs and time indicators. Examples include:

Vou trabalhar — I’m going to work.
Vou estudar — I’m going to study.
Vou descansar — I’m going to rest.
Vou ao cinema — I’m going to the movies.
Fico em casa — I’ll stay home.

To add details, include times or companions: Vou à praia com a família / Vou almoçar com a Ana / Tenho que terminar um projeto. These short additions make your reply sound natural and fluent.

Grammar breakdown: key verbs and structures

Understanding the grammar helps you create variations and avoid mistakes. Focus on two main structures: the near future with ir + infinitive, and the present continuous with estar + gerund.

Near future: ir + infinitive

Conjugate ir to match the subject, then add an infinitive verb like fazer, trabalhar, estudar.
Examples:
Eu vou trabalhar hoje.
Ela vai estudar à tarde.

Present continuous: estar + gerund

Conjugate estar, then use the gerund form ending in -ando, -endo, or -indo.
Examples:
Eu estou trabalhando agora.
Ele está estudando para a prova.

Gerund explanation and common verbs

Gerunds are formed by taking the verb stem and adding -ando for -ar verbs, -endo for -er verbs, and -indo for -ir verbs. Examples useful for daily plans:

Fazer → fazendo
Trabalhar → trabalhando
Estudar → estudando
Descansar → descansando
Jantar → jantando

Note that in Brazilian Portuguese, the gerund is widely used in spoken language to describe ongoing actions and plans. It makes your speech sound more natural than using only simple present in many contexts.

Politeness and softening expressions

If you want to ask about plans politely or soften the question, use polite phrases and modal verbs. Examples:

Você tem algum plano para hoje? — Do you have any plans for today?
Você poderia me dizer o que vai fazer hoje? — Could you tell me what you are going to do today?
Se não for incômodo, o que você vai fazer hoje? — If it’s not a bother, what are you going to do today?

These forms are useful for older people, new acquaintances, or formal contexts like business meetings.

Inviting someone when they answer

When someone answers and you want to invite them, these phrases help:

Quer ir comigo? — Do you want to go with me?
Topa sair hoje à noite? — Are you up for going out tonight?
Se estiver livre, podemos nos encontrar. — If you’re free, we can meet.

Use casual language with friends and polite forms with colleagues: Se estiver disponível, que tal nos encontrarmos?

Pronunciation tips and rhythm

Brazilian Portuguese has a musical rhythm and some sounds differ from English. Key points for these questions:

O que você vai fazer hoje?
Pronounce O que as a quick syllable, você with stress on the final syllable ve-CÊ, vai like English why, and hoje with a soft H sound like OH-zhee or OH-jee depending on accent.

O que você está fazendo hoje?
Está has a stress on the second syllable es-TÁ, and fazendo sounds like fah-ZEN-doo with the nasalized n depending on speech. Practice linking words fluently: O que você está fazendo is often spoken quickly as Oquevcêestáfazendo.

Listening to native speakers in films, music, and podcasts helps internalize natural rhythm and contractions.

Common mistakes to avoid

Several mistakes beginner learners make are easy to fix:

Using literal English word order or directly translating What are you doing today as Que você fazendo hoje. Always include a proper verb form: O que você está fazendo hoje or O que você vai fazer hoje.

Mixing pronouns and verb forms incorrectly. Remember that você usually takes third-person verb forms: você vai, você está. If using tu, match the second-person conjugation where applicable.

Overusing the gerund in formal writing. The gerund is excellent in speech; in formal writing, prefer simple present or future constructions.

Extra phrases related to daily plans

Here are useful phrases for follow-up questions or to expand the conversation:

Que horas você vai sair? — What time will you leave?
Com quem você vai? — Who are you going with?
Onde você vai estar? — Where will you be?
Quanto tempo vai durar? — How long will it last?

These make your interactions more engaging and allow you to practice different question forms and vocabulary.

Conclusion

Asking What are you doing today? in Brazilian Portuguese is simple but versatile. Use O que você vai fazer hoje? for plans and O que você está fazendo hoje? for ongoing actions, and learn informal variants for friends. Pay attention to pronouns, verb agreement, and common responses to sound natural in everyday conversation.