How to Say "taken place" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “taken place” is “ocurrido” — use 'ocurrido' when forming compound tenses (like the present perfect) to describe an event that has happened or occurred.
Use 'ocurrido' when forming compound tenses (like the present perfect) to describe an event that has happened or occurred.
Learn more →
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.
Learn more →oh-koo-RREE-doho.kuˈri.ðo
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).
soo-seh-DEE-doh/suθeˈðiðo/ (Spain) | /suseˈðiðo/ (Latam)
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
Learn Spanish with Inklingo
Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.