Korean · Greetings & Essentials
"What happened?" in Korean: 무슨 일이에요?
무슨 일이에요?museun irieyo?
What happened? in Korean is 무슨 일이에요? (museun irieyo?). 무슨 일이에요? asks what is going on; 무슨 일이 있었어요? explicitly asks about a past event.
What happened?: starting the exchange
왜 울어요? 무슨 일이에요?wae ureoyo? museun irieyo?
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How to pronounce 무슨 일이에요?
Say it
museun irieyo?
/musɯn iɾiejo/
무슨 일이에요? is read museun irieyo?. In 무슨 일이 있었어요?, read the full phrase as museun iri isseosseoyo?.
"What happened?" in Korean: quick reference
| Korean | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| 무슨 일이에요?museun irieyo? | What happened? The inventory form for what happened?. | The inventory form for what happened?. |
| 무슨 일이 있었어요?museun iri isseosseoyo? | what happened? 무슨 일이에요? asks what is going on; 무슨 일이 있었어요? explicitly asks about a past event. | 무슨 일이에요? asks what is going on; 무슨 일이 있었어요? explicitly asks about a past event. |
How to use 무슨 일이에요? in real life
- 1What happened?: starting the exchange
왜 울어요? 무슨 일이에요?
wae ureoyo? museun irieyo?
Why are you crying? What happened?
무슨 일이에요? asks what is going on; 무슨 일이 있었어요? explicitly asks about a past event.
- 2What happened?: adding useful context
밖이 시끄러워요. 무슨 일이에요?
bakki sikkeureowoyo. museun irieyo?
It is noisy outside. What is happening?
This sentence places 무슨 일이에요? in a complete exchange.
- 3What happened?: a different conversation
괜찮아요? 무슨 일이에요?
gwaenchanayo? museun irieyo?
Are you okay? What happened?
This sentence places 무슨 일이에요? in a complete exchange.
Mistakes English speakers make with 무슨 일이에요?
Incorrect: 왜 울어요? 무슨 일이예요?
Correct: 왜 울어요? 무슨 일이에요?
When practicing what happened, the standard copula spelling after a consonant is 이에요, not 이예요. The complete correction is 왜 울어요? 무슨 일이에요?
Incorrect: 밖이 시끄러워요. 무슨 일이예요?
Correct: 밖이 시끄러워요. 무슨 일이에요?
When practicing what happened, the standard copula spelling after a consonant is 이에요, not 이예요. The complete correction is 밖이 시끄러워요. 무슨 일이에요?
Good to know
무슨 일이에요? asks what is going on; 무슨 일이 있었어요? explicitly asks about a past event.
Read this practice conversation aloud
Tutor-led greetings and essentials study exercise: two sentences with 무슨 일이에요?
Partner
이 표현을 사용해서 한 문장 말해 볼까요?
i pyohyeoneul sayonghaeseo han munjang malhae bolkkayo?
Shall we say a sentence using this expression?
You
왜 울어요? 무슨 일이에요?
wae ureoyo? museun irieyo?
Why are you crying? What happened?
Partner
좋아요. 다른 문장으로도 연습해 볼까요?
joayo. dareun munjangeurodo yeonseupae bolkkayo?
Good. Shall we practice with another sentence too?
You
밖이 시끄러워요. 무슨 일이에요?
bakki sikkeureowoyo. museun irieyo?
It is noisy outside. What is happening?
This is a sample dialogue for reading aloud. Try both parts, then replace a detail with one from your own life.
Explore ChatPal"What happened?" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "What happened?" in Korean
What does 무슨 일이에요? mean?
What happened? in Korean is 무슨 일이에요? (museun irieyo?). 무슨 일이에요? asks what is going on; 무슨 일이 있었어요? explicitly asks about a past event.
When should I say 무슨 일이 있었어요??
무슨 일이에요? asks what is going on; 무슨 일이 있었어요? explicitly asks about a past event.
How does 무슨 일이 있었어요? differ from the basic expression?
무슨 일이 있었어요? means “what happened?”. 무슨 일이에요? asks what is going on; 무슨 일이 있었어요? explicitly asks about a past event.
Can I use 무슨 일이에요? in a full sentence?
왜 울어요? 무슨 일이에요? means “Why are you crying? What happened?” 무슨 일이에요? asks what is going on; 무슨 일이 있었어요? explicitly asks about a past event.
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