Portuguese Phrase
O que você anda fazendo ultimamente?
Meaning
Literally, “What have you been doing lately?” The speaker is asking about the listener’s recent activities, projects, or habits, often to catch up or show interest.
When to use
Use this phrase in informal conversations with friends, family, or close colleagues when you want to know what someone has been up to in the past few weeks or months. It works well as an ice‑breaker after a period of not seeing each other.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Oquevocêandafazendoultimamente?
O que
Interrogative phrase meaning “what”. It introduces a question about something unknown.
anda + gerúndio
Colloquial way to form the progressive: ‘anda’ (from andar) + gerund expresses an activity that has been happening repeatedly or recently.
fazendo
Gerund of the verb fazer ‘to do / to make’. Combined with ‘anda’ it means ‘have been doing’.
ultimamente
Adverb of time meaning ‘lately’ or ‘recently’, placed at the end of the sentence for emphasis.
🗨In Conversation
Oi, Ana! O que você anda fazendo ultimamente?
Hey Ana! What have you been doing lately?
Oi! Tenho estudado fotografia e comecei a fazer aulas de surf.
Hey! I’ve been studying photography and I started taking surf lessons.
✕Common Mistakes
O que você está fazendo ultimamente?
‘Está fazendo’ describes a current action, not a recent habit. Use ‘anda’ for the progressive sense of ‘have been doing’.
O que você anda fazer ultimamente?
Dropping the gerund loses the progressive nuance; you need a verb form that shows ongoing activity.
O que ultimamente você anda fazendo?
Placing ‘ultimamente’ before the verb can sound unnatural; keep it at the end of the sentence.
↔Alternatives
O que você tem feito recentemente?
What have you been doing recently?
O que você tem andado a fazer?
What have you been up to?
O que tem feito nos últimos tempos?
What have you been doing these days?
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, ‘anda + gerúndio’ is a very natural, informal way to ask about ongoing or recent actions. In Portugal, speakers often prefer ‘tem + particípio’ (e.g., “O que tem feito?”). Adjust the register according to your audience: use ‘anda’ with friends, and ‘tem’ when speaking with strangers or in a more formal setting.