Sie weiß, was vor sich geht.

English Translation

She knows what’s going on.

`vor sich’ literally means ‘before her’. A literal translation would be ‘She knows, what goes before her’. But it’s not in front of her physically. It’s metaphorical.

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I would explain it a little bit differently.

“She knows what goes before her” = “Sie weiß, was vor ihr geht”.
That would be physically in front of her.

“Vor sich gehen” is a different reflexive verb, simply meaning “happening” or “going on”
“Sie” und “sich” are not connected in any way.

Compare:

“Was geht da vor (sich)?” = “What’s going on there?”

Please note that the “sich”, especially when spoken, is not necessary.

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