What Is He Going?

A friendly guide to understanding this common English phrase

What Does “What Is He Going?” Mean?

The phrase “What is he going?” is often a shortened or informal version of “What is he going to do?” or “Where is he going?” depending on context. It uses the present continuous tense and typically refers to future plans or current movement.

Example 1 (Future plan): “He’s going to study abroad.” → “What is he going [to do]?”

Example 2 (Physical movement): “He’s leaving now.” → “What is he going [where]?” (less common; usually “Where is he going?”)

Grammar Breakdown

The full structure often includes:

In casual speech, parts like “to do” may be dropped, leading to “What is he going?” — though this is grammatically incomplete in formal writing.

Common Confusions

People often mix up these similar questions:

  1. “Where is he going?” → Asks about destination.
  2. “What is he going to do?” → Asks about future action.
  3. “What is he going?” → Informal/colloquial; meaning depends on context.

Listen & Practice

Click below to hear how native speakers might say this phrase in conversation:

Note: Audio is a placeholder beep for demonstration. In a real site, you’d use an actual voice recording.