''What are you up to?''

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yemto's avatar
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So I was talking to a friend when he sees one of his friends, they greet each other and my friend asks, "what's your mission." Later when my friend-friend leave, we start to talk about how to ask that question, and we can't come up with a good neutral way of asking it. Here is a list of what we think.

"What are you up to?", Sounds like the person is up to something.
"What's your mission?", Sounds way too much like a order, or military-ish.
"What are you doing here?" Sounds way too accusing, like the person isn't suppose to be there.
"What are you doing?" Same as above.
"Why are you here?" Same as above, just slightly less accusing.
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Archonitianicsmasher's avatar
It's the way you say it that counts:

What ARE you doing
What are YOU doing
What are you DOing

Besides that the tone in your voice and the expression you make while asking is much more important.
What are you up to or what are you doing are very normal questions to ask. It doesn't sound accusing or antagonistic at all. It sends the message that you're curious about that person and that you'd like to know more about whatever it is that he or she may be doing.
But like I said, it all depends on how you deliver that message.