What’re they doing?

In conversational English, when we ask questions like “What is she/he doing?” or “What are they doing?”, we often use contractions. Instead of saying “What is,” we say “What’s” and instead of “What are,” we say “What’re.”

For example:

• “What is she doing?” becomes “What’s she doing?”
• “What is he doing?” becomes “What’s he doing?”
• “What are they doing?” becomes “What’re they doing?”

The same idea applies when responding with the Present Continuous tense. Instead of saying “He is ___ing” or “She is ___ing,” we often say “He’s ___-ing” or “She’s ___-ing,” using contractions for “he is” and “she is.”

For instance:

• “He is eating.” becomes “He’s eating.”
• “She is playing.” becomes “She’s playing.”

Since contractions are often used in speech, it’s a good idea to train your ear to recognize them when you hear them. You can also try using them to make your spoken English sound natural and conversational.

If you would like to practice these contractions, or practice the present continuous, some vocabulary, and the “he”, “she”, “they” pronouns, please watch this practice video. Have fun!