what's going on

English

English phrasebook

This entry is part of the phrasebook project, which presents criteria for inclusion based on utility, simplicity and commonness. For other English entries on this topic, see Greetings.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Australia):

  (file)

Interjection

what's going on? (idiomatic, informal)

1. An informal greeting.
2. An expression of concern, asking for an explanation.

Synonyms

(an informal greeting):

• what's happening?
• what's up?
• what's new?

(expression of concern):

• what's happening
• what's up
• what gives?
• what goes? (dated)
• what goes on? (dated)
• what is it

Descendants

• Jamaican Creole: wah gwan
  • → English: wagwan

Translations

an informal greeting

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 在幹嘛呢 / 在干嘛呢 (zài gànmá ne)

• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: miten menee (fi)
• French: qu'est-ce qui se passe
• German: wie geht's (de), was geht ab? (slang)
• Hindi: क्या चल रहा है (kyā cal rahā hai), क्या हो रहा है (kyā ho rahā hai)
• Jamaican Creole: wah gwaan
• Polish: co słychać (pl)?, jak leci (pl)?
• Spanish: qué pasó, qué pasa

expression of concern

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 怎麼了 / 怎么了 (zh) (zěnme le)

• Finnish: mistä on kyse?, mikä on?
• Greek: τι τρέχει; (ti tréchei;)
• Hindi: क्या चल रहा है (kyā cal rahā hai), क्या हो रहा है (kyā ho rahā hai)
• Hungarian: mi történik itt?, mi folyik itt?
• Polish: co jest grane?