What are you up to?
2020.06.10
Meaning:
‘What are you up to?’ means ‘What are you doing?’ ‘up to’ often means ‘doing’. You can use it to talk about the future (‘What are you up to tomorrow?’), the recent past (‘What’ve you been up to recently?’) and the present (‘What are you up to nowadays?’). ‘Up to’ is a casual expression, but strangely it can seem more polite than ‘doing’. If I say, ‘What are you doing?’, it can sound like an attack. It suggests: ‘Why are you doing that?!’ ‘Why are you here?!’ But ‘What are you up to?’ just sounds like low-pressure chat. It’s a great way to start a conversation.
Example:
A: (On the phone) Hey, what are you up to?
B: I’m out shopping! Do you want to meet me?
A: What have you been up to lately?
B: Ummm… I’ve started taking English lessons!
Talking Point(s):
What have you been up to lately?
大人からの英会話getgo 西船橋・荻窪・津田沼・本八幡