sucede
“sucede” means “it happens” in Spanish. It has 3 different meanings depending on context:
it happens
Also: it occurs, it takes place
📝 In Action
¿Qué sucede aquí?
A2What's happening here?
Algo extraño sucede en esa casa.
B1Something strange is happening in that house.
No te preocupes, eso sucede a menudo.
A2Don't worry, that happens often.
it follows
Also: it comes after
📝 In Action
La primavera sucede al invierno.
B2Spring follows winter.
En la historia, la paz sucede a la guerra.
C1In history, peace follows war.
he/she succeeds
Also: he/she inherits
📝 In Action
El príncipe sucede al rey en el trono.
C1The prince succeeds the king on the throne.
La vicepresidenta sucede al presidente si este renuncia.
C1The vice president succeeds the president if he resigns.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: sucede
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'sucede' to talk about a sequence of events?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin word 'succēdere', which is made of 'sub-' (meaning 'under' or 'next') and 'cēdere' (meaning 'to go' or 'to yield'). So, its original meaning was literally 'to go after' or 'to follow,' which you can still see in its more formal uses today.
First recorded: Around the 13th century.
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What's the real difference between '¿Qué pasa?' and '¿Qué sucede?'
They both mean 'What's happening?', but '¿Qué pasa?' is much more common and casual, like 'What's up?'. '¿Qué sucede?' is a bit more neutral or even serious. If you walk into a room where people are arguing, '¿Qué sucede?' fits perfectly. For greeting a friend, '¿Qué pasa?' is better.
Can I say 'yo sucedo'?
It's grammatically possible, but very rare. 'Suceder' is almost always used in the third person ('sucede', 'sucedió', 'suceden') to talk about events that 'happen'. For things that happen to you, it's more natural to say 'Me pasó algo' (Something happened to me) instead of 'Algo me sucedió'.