wat gaan aan?
The English phrase "what is going on?" is translated into Afrikaans as wat gaan aan?
wat gaan aan? is a question used to ask about a current situation or to find out why something strange is happening.
Which one should you use?
Wat gebeur? serves as an informal way to say "What's happening?"
Did you know?
- If wat gaan aan? is shouted in a confrontational tone, it can function as a challenge similar to 'What's your problem?' rather than a genuine request for information.
- In some rural regions, wat gaan aan? may be replaced by the more idiomatic wat is die storie?, which literally translates to 'what is the story?'
- The verb gaan is a fusion of two different Proto-Germanic words, *gāną and *ganganą, combining two distinct ancient ways of describing movement.
Examples in context
- Wat is aan die gang?
Ons het 'n braai by my huis vanaand!What's going on?
We have a barbecue at my house tonight!
Example conversation
Johan enters the kitchen and sees Marelize looking surprised.
- JohanMarelize, wat gaan aan?Marelize, what is going on?
- MarelizeDaar is 'n voël in die huis!There is a bird in the house!
- JohanWaar is hy?Where is it?
- MarelizeHy is op die tafel.It is on the table.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aan, gaan, wat, CC BY-SA 4.0.
