to do you for

9.9

Ask someone how you can help them in a playful way

phrasal verb

Informal

: ¿en qué puedo ayudarte?

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "What can I do you for today?"

Examples

What can I do you for today?
She greeted me with a grin and said, "Morning! What can I do you for on this beautiful day?"
As the bartender approached, he asked, "Evening! What can I do you for?"
How can I do you for a favor?
As the bartender approached, he asked, "Evening! What can I do you for?"
She greeted me with a grin and said, "Morning! What can I do you for on this beautiful day?"
The shopkeeper smiled and said, "What can I do you for today?"

Antonyms

to ignore

∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

to dismiss

332 3.0

To refuse to accept an idea or claim

Surface Forms

do you for infinitive

did you for past

done you for past participle

doing you for present participle

does you for third person singular

Morphology

do + you + for

The sense of offering a service is directly derivable from 'do' (perform) combined with 'for' (on behalf of) and 'you' (the recipient); the expression is a playful, colloquial reordering of 'What can I do for you?'. Although informal word order may look odd, a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can readily infer the meaning, so it is transparent.

Etymology

The phrase do you for comes from a playful twist on the question 'what can I do for you'. By moving the words do, you, for, it sounds friendly and informal, so it is used to ask what 'help' or 'service' someone wants.