what's he to you

[Naeem Afzal]

Hi teachers,

Which one of the following is correct?

What's he to you?
Who is he to you?

As far as I know "what's he to you?" is correct.

Thanks.

 

[emsr2d2]

You're right, it's correct.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Yes, they're both right, but they have different meanings.

In American, the informal expression "What's it to you?" means "Why do you care?" or "What difference does it make to you?" So "What's he to you?" means "Why do you care about him?"

"Who is he to you?" means "What's his relationship to you?" or "How do you know him?"

 

[Tdol]

They both work in BrE too.