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Questions & Answers about O čemu se radi?
Why do we use čemu here instead of the standard word for 'what' (što)?
The preposition o (meaning 'about' in this context) requires the locative case. Čemu is the locative form of the pronoun što (what).
How does the verb se radi end up meaning 'is it about'?
Literally, the reflexive verb raditi se means 'to work itself' or 'to be done'. However, the structure raditi se o + locative is a very common fixed idiom in Croatian. It is the standard way to express 'to be about', 'to concern', or 'to be a matter of'.
Could I just say 'O čemu je?' as a direct translation of 'What is it about?'
While a native speaker would likely understand O čemu je (to)?, it sounds quite unnatural. Croatian heavily prefers the idiom O čemu se radi? to ask about the subject of a text, conversation, or situation.
Does this sentence have other meanings besides asking what a story or topic is about?
Yes! In everyday spoken Croatian, O čemu se radi? is frequently used to ask 'What's the matter?', 'What's going on?', or 'What is this all about?' when someone brings up a problem or says they need to talk to you.