¿En que está pasando?

Question

Why the en? It seems redundant. I have found many phrases online that use it, and I heard it on Estar Trek.

Answer 1

My impression, and it's only an impression as I'm far from fluent, is that it's something like 'What are you doing?', 'What are you up to?'

Obvio que '¿Qúe está pasando?' means 'What's going on?

¿En qúe está pasando? seems as if the está pasando pertains to the subject, and if it means literally something like 'In what are you spending/passing (your time)?'

My understanding is that most stuff we get here in Latin America is dubbed in Mexican Spanish, maybe one of our Mexicans can help.

I agree. Kirk **must* have said: "¿Qué está pasando?!" "En qué está pasando" simply makes no sense, it's not Spanish, and cannot be right. - Gekkosan, Jan 25, 2011

Fair play, like I said, I ain't fluent. Maybe he said '¿Y qué está pasando? - afowen, Jan 25, 2011

Answer 2

Did you possibly mean to write "¿en que está pensando?" If that is the case, the "en" would correspond to "about"...."What are/is you/he/she thinking about?"

Nah, En que esta pasando. He fell to the floor and Kirk was like "What is happening!" - jeezzle, Jan 24, 2011

wow - amazing - new one for me! - mountaingirl123, Jan 24, 2011

Well it might be wrong, you never know with Captain Kirk, who knows how he got to be Captain. Good with the ladies though. - jeezzle, Jan 25, 2011

:) That's awesome Captain James T. Kirk Stardate 276483895 (rounded to the nearest decimal).... :) - Jason7R, Jan 25, 2011

Answer 3

Maybe it's like "what's going on" where que would go for what, esta for is, pasado for going and en for on^__^

Answer 4

En qué está pasando? is incorrect, folks. It's no use finding a justification. It would be the same as saying In what is going on? in English.

I think the question was ¿En qué está pensando? as explained by mountaingirl before.