How could THIS have happened?

Uly, but if we already discussed the problem and know what we're talking about, why can't we say "it"?

As an independent initial response to news, or witnessing something, you can't use IT. You use "it" AFTER you've gotten the news and are getting more information. For instance, you come home and see that half your things are gone. [Children]: Mommy, we've been robbed! [Mother]: How could this have happened??? [Children]: Someone broke down the back door. [Mother]: But how could it have happened while everyone was home? [Children]: We weren't home - we were next door at Alex's.

This is really what I meant... Shall I delete my translation or keep it?

Let me put it this way... even before I saw all your translations, I thought to myself "they're all going to use IT" 😅😅😅😅

I don't know what to tell you. Grammatically, your translation is correct, I just can't imagine anyone saying it. Usually "How could this have happened?" is an initial response to something.

+++ Uly

😁😁😁 It's incurable. It's even worse than "to go in for"

To be honest, I’m trying to come up with a snippet where someone uses IT and I can’t 😅

But you used it in your snippet, only not at the beginning, but in the middle of the dialogue...

Yes, but I mean as an independent exclamation.

But how do you know the question was about an independent exclamation?

Because there’s nothing behind it. For example, in the my snippet, I have “How could it have happened WHILE EVERYONE WAS HOME?”

I thought, if they know what they're talking about, they must use "it"...

If it’s been mentioned already, you use IT.

So, when I was translating it, I meant that it had been mentioned 😢
I'm off...bye-bye 🙋‍♀️

Goodnight. I don’t know how to explain this.

Uly, don't be upset. It'll click one day 😉