was ist passiert
The German phrase for "what happened" is was ist passiert.
This phrase is a question used to ask about the cause or sequence of events that led to a current situation.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally translated, the phrase means "what is happened". This is because German uses the auxiliary verb sein (to be) instead of haben (to have) with the verb passieren to form the perfect tense.
Which one should you use?
was ist passiert is the most common way to ask this question. In contrast, was geschah is much more formal and is typically reserved for written literature or historical accounts.
Did you know?
- While passieren means 'to happen', it can also mean 'to pass through' or 'to strain' a liquid through a sieve in a culinary context.
- The verb passieren is actually a French loanword that entered German, which is why it follows different grammar rules than native Germanic verbs.
- If a German speaker asks was ist passiert with a rising intonation and a smile, it can function as a curious prompt for gossip rather than a request for information.
Examples in context
- He, was ist passiert?Hey, what happened?This example shows how to use was ist passiert in an informal greeting or exclamation.Tatoeba #2135467 by Zaghawa, translation #25304 by CM
- O nein! Was ist passiert?Oh no. What happened?This example demonstrates using was ist passiert in a reaction to bad news.Tatoeba #3813451 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #3809067 by Hybrid
- Wo bin ich? Was ist passiert?Where am I? What happened?This example shows how to use was ist passiert when someone is disoriented.Tatoeba #2498965 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2496178 by Hybrid
- Weißt du, was gestern passiert ist?Do you know what happened yesterday?
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hannah finds Lukas looking sad in the kitchen.
- HannahDu siehst traurig aus. Was ist passiert?You look sad. What happened?
- LukasIch habe mein Handy verloren.I lost my phone.
- HannahOh nein, was ist genau passiert?Oh no, what exactly happened?
- LukasEs ist im Park runtergefallen.It fell out in the park.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
