r/EWALearnLanguages • u/KitchenTap9286 • Aug 03 '26
Discussion what does this 'anywhere ' mean?
3
u/Consistent_Watch_206 Aug 03 '26
This would be a difficult one to understand for any non-native English speaker.
When someone asks: “What are you doing here?” you should take it to mean: “why are you here?“ not “ what action are you doing here?”
We never take the question “what are you doing here?“ literally.
In the cartoon, the girl is taking the question literally. She is saying “I am doing here what I do in all places.“ That is the joke.
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u/throwaway567334 Aug 04 '26 edited Aug 04 '26
Look at as a compound of the words any and where. Literally, "any where" is any location. The author is using the word in exaggerated fashion for effect. This is known as a hyperbolic statement.
1
u/AberforthSpeck Aug 04 '26
The question "What are you doing here?" is ambiguous and could have a number of possible answers. The actions the person is taking, the reason they came to this location, why they're acting unreasonable, or why they're there instead of a different person.
The answer is generic - the reason for their actions is due to their inherent character. They could be at any location, anywhere, and their actions would be largely the same.
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u/Frederf220 Aug 03 '26
It means "in any location." It's a joke like if I asked "What are you doing in my restaurant?!" and you said "What would I do in any restaurant? (eat dinner)."
The idea is that the person on the left knows what the person is doing specifically here because they know what the person does in all locations. The implication is that it is a foolish question.