что случилось?
chto sluchilos'?
что случилось? (chto sluchilos'?) is the Russian way to say "what happened".
The phrase is used to ask about the cause or nature of a current situation or event.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the interrogative pronoun что (what) and the past tense neuter singular form of the verb случиться (to happen/to occur).
Which one should you use?
While что случилось? is the most common way to ask "what happened?", что произошло? is a slightly more formal alternative often used when referring to specific events or occurrences.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb случилось is in the neuter singular form because the subject что (what) is treated as a neuter singular pronoun in this context.
How do you pronounce it?
chto sluchilos'?
Did you know?
- In Russian, if you suspect something bad happened, you might use что стряслось? instead. This verb evokes the image of something shaking or collapsing, making the situation sound more catastrophic.
- If you want to ask 'what's the matter' in a very casual, almost slangy way to a friend, you might skip the formal structure and just say Че? (che), which is a shortened, highly informal version of что?
- The root of случиться is related to the word for 'hearing' слух. This reflects an ancient linguistic connection between 'listening' and 'encountering' a situation.
Examples in context
- Где я? Что случилось?Where am I? What happened?This is useful for asking about your current location and situation when using что случилось?Tatoeba #2496190 by marafon, translation #2496178 by Hybrid
- О нет. Что случилось?Oh no. What happened?This is useful for reacting to bad news using что случилось?Tatoeba #3811337 by marafon, translation #3809067 by Hybrid
- Ты читал, что случилось?Did you read what happened?This is useful for asking if someone has read about an event using что случилось?Tatoeba #12467548 by marafon, translation #12467547 by CK
- София: Добрый день, Андрей. Что произошло на совещании вчера? Андрей: Затянулось, и мы не успели обсудить все вопросы.Sofia: Good day, Andrey. What happened at the meeting yesterday? Andrey: It ran long, and we didn't manage to discuss all the matters.
- Иван: Привет, Даша! Что там было на вечеринке? Даша: Ничего особенного, просто общались и танцевали всю ночь.Ivan: Hey, Dasha! What happened at the party? Dasha: Nothing special, just chatting and dancing all night.
- 148 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Александр и Мария находят разбитую вазу на полу.
- Александр AleksandrЧто случилось?Shto sluchilos'?What happened?
- Мария MariaКошка столкнула вазу со стола.Koshka stolknula vazu so stola.The cat knocked the vase off the table.
- Александр AleksandrОх, она разбилась на мелкие кусочки.Okh, ona razbilas' na melkiye kusochki.Oh, it broke into small pieces.
- Мария MariaМне нужно убрать это.Mne nuzhno ubrat' eto.I need to clean this up.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
