To sign 'what's' (which uses the same sign as 'what'), hold your dominant hand in front of you with the palm facing up and fingers relaxed. Move your hand horizontally side to side a few times. Make sure to furrow your eyebrows, which is the essential facial expression for asking 'wh-' questions in ASL.
To ask this classic beginner question, you will sign 'your', then 'name', and finish with the sign for 'what's'. Remember to keep your eyebrows furrowed throughout the sign for 'what's' to clearly indicate that you are asking a question.
In ASL, you don't need to sign the English word 'for'. You can simply sign 'dinner' followed by 'what's' to ask what meal is being prepared. Keep your facial expression inquisitive to show you are asking about the food.
To ask someone if they are okay or if something happened, you can pair 'what's' with the sign for 'wrong'. Simply sign 'wrong' and then 'what's', making sure your facial expression conveys genuine concern and inquiry.
To ask this classic beginner question, you will sign 'your', then 'name', and finish with the sign for 'what's'. Remember to keep your eyebrows furrowed throughout the sign for 'what's' to clearly indicate that you are asking a question.
In ASL, you don't need to sign the English word 'for'. You can simply sign 'dinner' followed by 'what's' to ask what meal is being prepared. Keep your facial expression inquisitive to show you are asking about the food.
To ask someone if they are okay or if something happened, you can pair 'what's' with the sign for 'wrong'. Simply sign 'wrong' and then 'what's', making sure your facial expression conveys genuine concern and inquiry.
Yes! The two-handed version, where both hands are palm up and moving side to side, is the most standard way to sign 'what'. The one-handed version shown here is a very common, casual variation that is frequently used in everyday, relaxed conversations.
In ASL, facial expressions act as grammatical markers. Furrowing your eyebrows indicates that you are asking a 'wh-' question (who, what, where, when, why). This non-manual marker makes it clear to the listener that you expect an informational answer, rather than a simple yes or no.
No, ASL is a distinct language and does not use English word-for-word translations or contractions like 'what's' (what is). You simply use the standard sign for 'what' to convey the exact same meaning, relying on the context of the sentence to make your point clear.
