How to Say ‘What did you do?’ in German
Was haben Sie gemacht?
vahs hah-ben zee guh-makht
[vahs hah-ben zee guh-makht]
💬 Usage Tip: Perfect tense question: "haben" + participle. A very common formal question in interviews and conversations.
🇩🇪 In Germany: This sounds direct, but in German directness is usually normal and efficient, not impolite.
Phrase Breakdown
Was
[vahs]
what
Question word used to ask for information about a thing or action.
Was möchtest du essen?
What would you like to eat?
haben
[hah-ben]
have
Plural or formal form of haben; here used as an auxiliary verb.
Wann haben Sie Zeit?
When do you have time?
Sie
[zee]
you
Formal singular or plural you, used politely.
Haben Sie einen Termin?
Do you have an appointment?
gemacht
[guh-makht]
done
Past participle of machen, meaning did or made.
Was haben Sie gestern gemacht?
What did you do yesterday?
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