Inklingo

How to Say "taken place" in Spanish

English → Spanish

ocurrido

oh-koo-RREE-doh/o.kuˈri.ðo/

past participleA2formal
Use 'ocurrido' when forming compound tenses (like the present perfect) to describe an event that has happened or occurred.
A brightly glowing yellow lightbulb floating above a simple human figure's head, signifying an idea that has just occurred.

Examples

¿Qué ha ocurrido con el proyecto?

What has happened with the project?

Nunca antes le había ocurrido algo así.

Something like that had never occurred to him before.

Forming Compound Actions

Use 'ocurrido' with a form of the helping verb 'haber' (to have) to describe actions that finished in the past or relate to the present moment, like 'hemos ocurrido' (we have occurred).

sucedido

soo-seh-DEE-doh/suθeˈðiðo/ (Spain) | /suseˈðiðo/ (Latam)

adjectiveA2
Use 'sucedido' as an adjective to describe a completed action or event that has taken place, often emphasizing the outcome or the speed of events.
A successful green seedling emerging from the brown earth, symbolizing something that has occurred or happened.

Examples

Todo esto ha sucedido muy rápido.

All of this has happened very quickly.

La caída de la torre fue un evento sucedido hace mucho tiempo.

The fall of the tower was an event that occurred a long time ago.

No sé qué le ha sucedido; está muy callado.

I don't know what has happened to him; he is very quiet.

The Past Participle

'Sucedido' is the form of the verb 'suceder' used with the helping verb 'haber' to talk about completed actions (e.g., 'ha sucedido' = it has happened).

Adjective Use

Like many past participles, it can also act as an adjective, describing a noun. When used this way, it must agree in number and gender (sucedido, sucedida, sucedidos, sucedidas).

Using 'Ser' instead of 'Haber'

Mistake: “La fiesta es sucedido.”

Correction: La fiesta ha sucedido. (The verb 'suceder' always uses 'haber' to form perfect tenses, never 'ser' or 'estar'.)

Participle vs. Adjective Confusion

Learners often confuse 'ocurrido' (past participle) and 'sucedido' (adjective) because both relate to past events. Remember that 'ocurrido' is typically part of a verb phrase, while 'sucedido' often describes the event itself.

Related Translations

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