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what happened vs what did happen

Both "what happened" and "what did happen" are correct phrases, but they are used in different contexts. "What happened" is more commonly used in everyday conversations to inquire about past events, while "what did happen" is used for emphasis or in formal situations.

Last updated: March 21, 2024 • 1345 views

what happened

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to inquire about past events.

This phrase is used to ask about events that occurred in the past. It is a simple and direct way to inquire about what took place.

Examples:

What happened at the meeting yesterday?
I heard a loud noise. What happened?
Can you tell me what happened during the game?
I'm curious about what happened at the party.
What happened to your phone?

Show examples from the web [+]

Oct 3, 2022 ... what happened. 11M views 2 months ago. The Try Guys. The Try Guys. 8.08M subscribers. Subscribe. 960K. I like this. I dislike this.

Alternatives:

What occurred?
What transpired?
What took place?
What went down?
What was the outcome?

what did happen

This phrase is correct but less commonly used. It is used for emphasis or in formal situations.

This phrase is used to emphasize a past event or in more formal contexts. It can add emphasis to the question or statement.

Examples:

I asked him what did happen, but he wouldn't tell me.
What did happen to the missing files?
Can you explain what did happen last night?
I wonder what did happen to the money.
Tell me, what did happen after I left?

Show examples from the web [+]

Frank, what did happen last night?
Then what did happen, Kev?
So, what did happen tonight?
Okay, then what did happen?
Frank, what did happen to Carlos?
Just what did happen to Maureen when she was in Hollywood?
So, what did happen tonight?
Okay, so what did happen with Matty?
We don't believe him, but it would help if you could tell us what did happen.
So what did happen in the fieldhouse?
Just what did happen at that security checkpoint, Chief?
And in fact, what did happen to my brain?
Gil, would you tell everyoe what did happen last time?
So, what did happen at the taco stand?
So what did happen last night? Well, you know, I...
If she doesn't believe that, then what did happen?
What did happen out there, Lindley?
What did happen to your friend, Charlie?
What did happen in "Captain America"?
What did happen at the school, Grace?

Alternatives:

What actually happened?
What really happened?
What precisely happened?
What indeed happened?
What specifically happened?

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