here or in here?

bond5000 said:

hi there, well I’ve just a doubt, you know a bit confused what’s the difference between ” what are you doing here? ” and ” what are you doing in here? “

I mean, is it correct to put “in” ?

thanks a lot

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I would say the difference is somewhat subtle.

What are you doing here? — This one asks what you are doing here (in general). Why did you come to the party? What do you want? Example: I didn’t expect you to be anywhere near me, but you show up. I’m more concerned about your general presence than your precise location. So, why here instead of somewhere else?

What are you doing in here? — This one ask specifically what you’re doing IN THIS ROOM. It probably means that I didn’t expect you to be here in this very room. Example: I invited you to a party at my house, so I expect you to be in my house for the part. I happen to walk into my office and see you going through my files. What are you doing IN HERE? I expect you to be in my house for the party, but I didn’t expect you to specifically be in this room.

The difference is basically about where you expect someone to be and NOT to be. If it’s cold, you expect someone to be inside. If you’re a male in a male restroom, you expect only to see men in the restroom. If you work in an office with confidential information, you don’t expect to see people without proper clearance in that office. In all of these cases, you’d use the IN HERE version of the sentence.

Clearer?

I would say the difference is somewhat subtle.What are you doing here? — This one asks what you are doing here (in general). Why did you come to the party? What do you want? Example: I didn’t expect you to be anywhere near me, but you show up. I’m more concerned about your general presence than your precise location. So, why here instead of somewhere else?What are you doing in here? — This one ask specifically what you’re doing IN THIS ROOM. It probably means that I didn’t expect you to be here in this very room. Example: I invited you to a party at my house, so I expect you to be in my house for the part. I happen to walk into my office and see you going through my files. What are you doing IN HERE? I expect you to be in my house for the party, but I didn’t expect you to specifically be in this room.The difference is basically about where you expect someone to be and NOT to be. If it’s cold, you expect someone to be inside. If you’re a male in a male restroom, you expect only to see men in the restroom. If you work in an office with confidential information, you don’t expect to see people without proper clearance in that office. In all of these cases, you’d use the IN HERE version of the sentence.Clearer?