You say என்ன செய்கிறீர்கள் ｢eṉṉa ceykiṟīrkaḷ｣? in Tamil. It is the polite form, and families often use it as a friendly way to start a chat.
என்ன செய்கிறீர்கள்?
eṉṉa ceykiṟīrkaḷ?
What are you doing?
No audio yet
Word by word
In a conversation
- Speaker A
என்ன செய்கிறீர்கள்?
eṉṉa ceykiṟīrkaḷ?
What are you doing?
- Speaker B
ஒன்றும் இல்லை, சும்மா இருக்கிறேன்.
oṉṟum illai, cummā irukkiṟēṉ.
Nothing, I am just relaxing.
When to say it
Ask this when you call a relative, or when you walk into a room where someone is busy. Often it is not a real question. Like "What's up?" in English, it simply opens a conversation. The other person may tell you about their day, or just say "nothing".
How it is built
The question word என்ன, "what", comes first. The second word comes from செய், "do". Its ending shows that the action is happening now, and that "you" is polite.
Who to say it to
Use this polite form with parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents and anyone older. With a younger brother or sister, a child or a close friend, people use a familiar form instead.
How to answer
A common answer is ஒன்றும் இல்லை, "nothing". You can add சும்மா இருக்கிறேன், "I am just sitting idle". Or say what you are doing, for example that you are working or cooking. Then ask the same question back, so the other person can talk too.
Related phrases
Have you eaten?
சாப்பிட்டீர்களா?
How are you?
நீங்கள் எப்படி இருக்கிறீர்கள்?
I miss you
உன்னை நினைத்துக்கொண்டிருக்கிறேன்