What have you been doing all day today?

Question

Is is possible to ask: What have you been doing today? Is is commonly used question and gramatically correct? Can you give some examples when it is possible to use this tense?Thanks for helplayla

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

layla1234Is it possible to ask: What have you been doing today?

Yes, it's possible.

layla1234Is it a commonly used question and gramatically correct?

Yes. I speak less formally with my friends, though, and I would say, "What have you been up to lately?"

layla1234Can you give some examples when it is possible to use this tense?

'have been ---ing' is used to indicate continuous activity that started in the past and has continued up to the present. It can also indicate sporadic periods activity over time continuing to the present. (It's called the present perfect continuous, by the way.)

Susan has been cooking all day. I wonder what she's making.
Jack has been working on the car. That's why his hands are so dirty and greasy now.
Jerry just won a teacher's award. I asked him, "Have you been teaching for a long time?"

CJ

Layla1234 · Answer

Ok thanks for your explanations and help. I want to ask about something else. What did you do yesterday? It the typical question when we are asking about the past right? Can I also say What were you doing yesterday?

CalifJim · Answer

layla1234What did you do yesterday? It the typical question when we are asking about the past right?

Right.

layla1234What were you doing yesterday?

It's OK in the right context. It doesn't make sense to start a conversation like that. Typically the speaker has in mind another event that happened around the time that you "were doing" something.

Instead:

I tried to call you several times yesterday, and you didn't answer. What were you doing?

Implication: What were you doing at the times when I called? What were you doing that was so important that you couldn't answer my call?

CJ

Chris W. King · Answer

What do you say when you wanted to meet up with someone but they didn't show up?

What were you doing/what have you been doing all day yesterday?

I still don't understand the differences between What did you do yesterday/what have you been doing yesterday/what were you doing yesterday. This whole concept of different tenses is so confusing. I live in the US but my native tongue is German. I always find myself in conflict with textbook grammar rules as everyone here in the US seems to neglect them. I heard people say stuff like ' Bro what were you doing yesterday?? I was looking for you all day and you were nowhere to be found' or ' Where were you?? We all were waiting at the [insert location] for you to show up' or ' Where have you been so long?? I hate waiting on you!' or 'Where were you? I hate waiting on you' . According to some textbook grammar rules all these usages are wrong.

If someone can clear that up I'd be more than happy!!!

What have you been doing all day today?

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions