What are you upto?

Boy   Monday, October 13, 2003, 18:32 GMT
Hello folks, what does this phrase mean? How will I respond my answer when soemone asks it in a conversation?
Californian   Monday, October 13, 2003, 18:38 GMT
It means "How are you," and you respond with what you have been doing in the past few days, what you are doing presently, or what you will be doing in the near future (next few days).
A.S.C.M.   Monday, October 13, 2003, 21:51 GMT
I thought "what are you up to" means "what are you doing now" or "what plots are you concocting recently".
mjd   Monday, October 13, 2003, 22:01 GMT
"What are you up to" is a greeting that fits the description Californian gave above. I'll use it when I call up a friend or run into a friend or acquaintance on the street. It can also be used when greeting someone you haven't seen for a while...in this case it's common to hear "nowadays" or "these days" tacked onto the end.

Example A:

person 1: "Hey, what are you up to?"
person 2: "Nothing much, just watching some tv."

Example B (running into someone you haven't seen for a while):

person 1: "Hey John. I haven't seen you for almost two years. What are you up to these days?"
person 2 (John): "Oh, I've been studying abroad in Europe."
A.S.C.M.   Monday, October 13, 2003, 22:52 GMT
I don't know. I've never heard the phrase used in the way mjd and Californian described. Perhaps they gave the definition of "wah-darr-you-up-to" whereas I gave the definition of "wot-tah-you-rup-to".
Jim   Tuesday, October 14, 2003, 02:47 GMT
Wouldn't it be more of "wot-tah-you-wup-tu"? For me the "wot-tah-you-wup-tu" definition fits.
wassabi   Tuesday, October 14, 2003, 04:09 GMT
it's basically like saying what have you been up to, also known as, what have you been doing
Boy   Tuesday, October 14, 2003, 05:06 GMT
Folks, Thanks for your great help.
I had a hard time for understanding this question.
I wrote it to one of my school mates.
He wrote his answer like this, I'd stay around 10.00 pm because of having a hectic schedule of studies. So I'd call you at midnight or tomorow.

Mjd,

Example A:

I guess It means "What's up?"

Example B:

How've you been nowadays?

First time when a native speaker asked me this question on the net and when I replied that I was doing great. He said that he did not ask "How were you doing?" Though he did not tell me the right reply of the question.



mjd   Tuesday, October 14, 2003, 07:31 GMT
It pretty much means "what's up," but it usually involves telling the other person what one is doing.

John: "What are you up to?"
Mary "I'm just doing some laundry."

Example B:

"What're you doing nowadays/these days?" or "How have you been?" (don't add nowadays onto this setence)
Simon   Tuesday, October 14, 2003, 09:10 GMT
If somebody asked me that, I'd reply "I'm not up to anything" and look cagey...
mjd   Tuesday, October 14, 2003, 19:01 GMT
The phrase "up to something" can mean doing something suspicious.

Ex. "That man has been hanging around in the subway station all day. He looks like he's up to something."

Ex. (a child getting into mischief)

Mother: "Just what are you up to over there, young man?"

....sorry for these corny examples, but I think they illustrate what I mean.

The examples I gave in the previous posts were about "what are you up to" as a colloquial greeting. It is a very common American colloquialism (I use it all the time among friends), but I'm not sure if it is used as a greeting in Britain or Australia.
Simon   Wednesday, October 15, 2003, 15:06 GMT
In London, some people say "Azgan" as a greeting, as in "White mate, azgan!".

(disclaimer: this is a joke)