"What has been happening?"
Translation:O que tem acontecido?
18 Comments
I posted elsewhere, but wouldn't this be best translated at "has happened" rather than "has been happening".
In english at least, there is a difference in meaning between "has happened" and "has been happening".
It is somewhat nuanced, but basically "has happened" (perfect tense) implies that the event is completely over, where as "has been happening" (a compound perfect tense) implies that it is possible, but not certain, that this pattern will continue.
How is this conceptual difference conveyed in portoguese?
Going throuh the lessons you'll find many more examples about it. In short: "what has happened?" = o que aconteceu? / "what has been happening?" = o que tem acontecido. In Portuguese they have the same sense as in English. You hardly ever hear a more literal translation: o que tem estado acontecendo?
Very helpful. So basically if the action is complete and conceptually "lives" in the past, you usually use the simple past tense. If the action is conceptually still continuing, or might be continuing, you use the perfect tense?
i.e. - I have eaten at that restaurant = eu comi nesse restaurante
I have been eating at that restaurant (lately) = eu tenho comido nesse restaurante
"O que tem acontecido?" - Why is "O" needed there? What would mean "Que tem acontecido?"
1428
Yes, but I am no Portuguese expert! For confirmation, see reference below:
http://www.linguee.com.br/portugues-ingles/traducao/o+que+est%C3%A1+acontecendo.html
I wrote O que tem acontecido? but was marked wrong with the corect answer being "O que vem acontecendo?"?
The right answer for me was "O que tem se passado" (Instead of "O que tem passado) - I'm confused as to why there's a reflexive pronoun?
