Signification
Asking for an explanation of an event.
Contexte culturel
Indonesians are very social. If you ask 'Apa yang terjadi?', be prepared for a long story. It's considered polite to listen to the whole explanation. In Javanese culture, directness can sometimes be seen as rude. When asking 'Apa yang terjadi?', use a soft, rising intonation to sound concerned rather than demanding. In Jakarta, people often use 'Ada apa?' or 'Kenapa?' instead of the full 'Apa yang terjadi?' to save time and sound more 'gaul' (cool/modern). Batak culture is often more direct. 'Apa yang terjadi?' might be asked with more volume and firmness, which is a sign of honesty and direct engagement rather than anger.
The 'Yang' Rule
Always remember 'yang'. It's the glue that makes the sentence work. Without it, you sound like a robot!
Don't over-conjugate
Indonesian verbs don't change for 'he/she/it'. It's always 'terjadi', no matter who or what you are talking about.
Signification
Asking for an explanation of an event.
The 'Yang' Rule
Always remember 'yang'. It's the glue that makes the sentence work. Without it, you sound like a robot!
Don't over-conjugate
Indonesian verbs don't change for 'he/she/it'. It's always 'terjadi', no matter who or what you are talking about.
Add 'sih' for flavor
In casual speech, adding 'sih' at the end ('Apa yang terjadi sih?') makes you sound like a native who is genuinely curious or slightly annoyed.
Teste-toi
Choose the correct phrase to ask 'What happened?'
Kamu melihat kecelakaan di jalan. Kamu bertanya:
You must include 'yang' to be grammatically correct in Indonesian.
Fill in the missing word.
Apa ___ terjadi di sini?
'Yang' is the necessary linker between 'Apa' and the verb 'terjadi'.
Complete the dialogue.
A: (Melihat teman menangis) ______? B: Saya baru saja kehilangan dompet.
When someone is crying, 'Apa yang terjadi?' is the most natural way to ask for the reason.
Match the phrase to the situation.
Situation: You arrive at a party and everyone is laughing, but you don't know why.
You want to know the cause of the laughter, so you ask what happened.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Formal vs Informal
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesKamu melihat kecelakaan di jalan. Kamu bertanya:
You must include 'yang' to be grammatically correct in Indonesian.
Apa ___ terjadi di sini?
'Yang' is the necessary linker between 'Apa' and the verb 'terjadi'.
A: (Melihat teman menangis) ______? B: Saya baru saja kehilangan dompet.
When someone is crying, 'Apa yang terjadi?' is the most natural way to ask for the reason.
Situation: You arrive at a party and everyone is laughing, but you don't know why.
You want to know the cause of the laughter, so you ask what happened.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsNo, that sounds very unnatural. The question word 'Apa' almost always comes at the beginning in this phrase.
It can be both! Context tells you. If you see a mess now, it's 'What happened?'. If you see a fight happening, it's 'What is happening?'.
Yes, it is neutral. To make it more polite, add 'Maaf' (Sorry) or 'Permisi' (Excuse me) at the beginning.
'Terjadi' means 'to happen' (event). 'Menjadi' means 'to become' (transformation, e.g., becoming a doctor).
Yes, but usually you would embed it: 'Saya ingin menanyakan apa yang terjadi dengan pesanan saya.'
Use 'Apa yang terjadi dengan kamu?' or more casually 'Kamu kenapa?'.
Yes, 'Ada apaan?' is very common slang among youth in Jakarta.
'Yang' acts as a relative pronoun, turning 'terjadi' into a clause that describes 'Apa'.
Absolutely. It's the perfect translation for that.
Not necessarily, but it does imply that something *notable* has occurred.
Expressions liées
Ada apa?
similarWhat's up? / Is something wrong?
Apa yang sedang terjadi?
builds onWhat is currently happening?
Kejadian
specialized formAn event / occurrence
Bagaimana ceritanya?
similarWhat's the story?
Apa yang kau lakukan?
contrastWhat are you doing?
