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sucedió

su-seh-dee-OH/su.se.ˈðjo/

“sucedió” means “it happened” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

it happened

Also: occurred, took place
VerbA2regular er
A bright red ball suddenly bounces off a tall, rough brick wall in a park, capturing the instantaneous moment of impact.
infinitivesuceder
gerundsucediendo
past Participlesucedido

📝 In Action

¿Qué sucedió?

A2

What happened?

El accidente sucedió en la esquina.

B1

The accident happened on the corner.

Todo sucedió muy rápido.

B1

Everything happened very quickly.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • ocurrió (it occurred)
  • pasó (it happened)

Common Collocations

  • Sucedió algo inesperado. – Something unexpected happened.
  • Sucedió de repente. – It happened suddenly.

succeeded

Also: followed
VerbB2regular erformal
A symbolic depiction of succession, showing a golden crown being moved from a taller, older pedestal to a shorter, newer one.
infinitivesuceder
gerundsucediendo
past Participlesucedido

📝 In Action

El rey Felipe VI sucedió a su padre, Juan Carlos I.

B2

King Felipe VI succeeded his father, Juan Carlos I.

Al caos inicial sucedió un período de orden.

C1

A period of order followed the initial chaos.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • siguió (followed)
  • reemplazó (replaced)

Antonyms

  • precedió (preceded)

Common Collocations

  • Sucedió en el trono. – He/she succeeded to the throne.

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedsucede
yosucedo
túsucedes
ellos/ellas/ustedessuceden
nosotrossucedemos
vosotrossucedéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedsucedía
yosucedía
túsucedías
ellos/ellas/ustedessucedían
nosotrossucedíamos
vosotrossucedíais

preterite

él/ella/ustedsucedió
yosucedí
túsucediste
ellos/ellas/ustedessucedieron
nosotrossucedimos
vosotrossucedisteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedsuceda
yosuceda
túsucedas
ellos/ellas/ustedessucedan
nosotrossucedamos
vosotrossucedáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedsucediera
yosucediera
túsucedieras
ellos/ellas/ustedessucedieran
nosotrossucediéramos
vosotrossucedierais
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "sucedió" in Spanish:

followed→succeeded→took place→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: sucedió

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'sucedió' to mean 'it happened'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
suceder(to happen) — Verb
suceso(event, incident) — Noun
sucesión(succession, sequence) — Noun
sucesivo(successive) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
accedióconcedióprocedió
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from the Latin word 'succēdere', which is made of 'sub-' (under, after) and 'cēdere' (to go, to yield). It literally meant 'to go after' or 'follow'. This original meaning split into the two modern uses: an event that 'follows' another (it happened), and a person who 'follows' another in a role (to succeed).

First recorded: Around the 13th century.

Cognates (Related words)

English: succeedFrench: succéderItalian: succedere

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Frequently Asked Questions

What's the real difference between 'sucedió' and 'pasó'?

They are very similar and often interchangeable for 'it happened'. 'Pasó' is much more common in everyday, casual speech ('¿Qué pasó?'). 'Sucedió' sounds a little more formal or serious, and you'll see it more in writing, news reports, or when telling a more dramatic story. Think of 'pasó' as 'what went on?' and 'sucedió' as 'what occurred?'.

Is 'sucedió' only for bad things, like accidents?

Not at all! It's completely neutral. You can use it for anything that happened, good or bad. For example, 'Sucedió un milagro' (A miracle happened) or 'Lo mejor que me sucedió fue conocerte' (The best thing that happened to me was meeting you).