Italian Phrase
Cosa stai guardando ultimamente?
Meaning
A friendly way to ask someone what movies, TV series, YouTube videos, or any visual content they have been watching lately. It implies curiosity about the person’s recent media habits.
When to use
Use this informal question in casual conversation with friends, classmates, or colleagues you know well. It works well when you’re catching up, chatting over coffee, or starting a discussion about pop culture.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Cosastaiguardandoultimamente?
Cosa
Interrogative pronoun meaning “what”. It can appear alone or as “che cosa”.
stai guardando
Present progressive formed with the auxiliary verb *stare* + gerund. It expresses an action happening now or around the present moment.
guardando
Gerund of *guardare* (to watch, to look at). In the progressive it conveys the ongoing activity of watching.
ultimamente
Adverb meaning “lately” or “recently”. It modifies the whole clause, indicating a time frame that includes the recent past.
🗨In Conversation
Cosa stai guardando ultimamente?
What are you watching lately?
Sto seguendo la nuova stagione di *Stranger Things* su Netflix.
I’m following the new season of *Stranger Things* on Netflix.
✕Common Mistakes
Cosa stai guardando **a** ultimamente?
Do not add the preposition *a* after *guardando*; the verb already includes the object.
Cosa **stai guardare** ultimamente?
The progressive requires the gerund *guardando*, not the infinitive *guardare*.
**Che** stai guardando ultimamente?
While understandable, the more natural order is *Cosa stai guardando…*; *Che* is less common in this construction.
↔Alternatives
Che cosa guardi di recente?
What are you watching recently?
Che cosa stai vedendo di recente?
What are you seeing lately?
Quali serie/film hai visto ultimamente?
Which series/movies have you seen lately?
Cultural Tip
Italians love to talk about TV series, movies, and even YouTube channels. When you ask this question, it’s common to follow up with a comment about the show you’re currently binge‑watching. Keep the tone informal (using *tu*) unless you’re speaking to someone you need to address formally, in which case you’d say *Cosa sta guardando Lei ultimamente?*.