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"to happen" in seven languages

Meaningto happen

Spanish

pasar

/paˈsaɾ/

inherited

Ocurrir and suceder are more formal.

French

se passer

/sə pase/

inherited

Also arriver: Qu'est-ce qui est arrivé ?

Italian

succedere

/sutˈtʃɛdere/

other source · Latin SUCCĒDERE 'to come next, follow'

Also accadere.

Portuguese

acontecer

/akõteˈseh/

other source · Old Portuguese contecer (spoken Latin *CONTIGĒSCERE, from CONTINGERE 'to befall')

Romanian

întâmpla

/ɨntɨmˈpla/

other source · of uncertain origin

Used reflexively: s-a întâmplat 'it happened'.

Catalan

passar

/pəˈsa/

inherited

English

happen

/ˈhæpən/

native English · Middle English happen, from Old Norse happ 'luck'

English → Italianto happensuccedereNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: pass, passage, passenger.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

*PASSĀRE‘to step, pass (from PASSUS 'step')’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

Spanish and French say things 'pass': ¿Qué pasa? / Qu'est-ce qui se passe ? Italian uses succedere 'to come next' (English succeed), which Spanish keeps as the formal suceder.

English relatives: pass, passage, passenger

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • es¿Qué ha pasado?
  • frQu'est-ce qui s'est passé ?
  • itCos'è successo?
  • ptO que aconteceu?
  • roCe s-a întâmplat?
  • caQuè ha passat?
  • enWhat happened?

More words from the same Latin

More in Core verbs

All Core verbs words