Using it for People

"Ocurrió" is used for events that happened at a specific, completed point in the past. Think of it as a snapshot of an event. This is different from "ocurría," which describes something that was happening over a period of time.

A Specific Moment in the Past

You'll hear "ocurrió" a lot in news reports or when someone is telling a story about a specific incident. It's a great alternative to the more common "pasó".

News and Storytelling

Extremely common, used daily to talk about past events.

Forgetting 'se'

When an idea "happens" to someone, Spanish uses a special structure. The 'se' is part of the verb, and words like 'me', 'te', or 'le' show who had the idea. Think of it like "An idea occurred itself to me."

The "Idea" Formula: Se + (me/te/le) + ocurrió

A super natural way to say this in Spanish is "¡Se me acaba de ocurrir una idea!". The structure 'se me ocurrió' is perfect for sharing sudden thoughts or solutions.

"I just had an idea!"

Very common way to talk about ideas and thoughts.

Learn the two main uses of the Spanish word 'ocurrió': to say 'it happened' or 'it occurred to me'. See full conjugations for 'ocurrir', examples, and common mistakes.

ocurrió

Complete Conjugation Tables

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

future

imperfect

conditional

preterite

imperative

negative

affirmative

subjunctive

present

imperfect

Practice Conjugations