How to Say "they happen" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “they happen” is “ocurren” — A2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
English → SpanishA2
verbA2
events taking place
Examples
A veces ocurren accidentes en esta calle.
Sometimes accidents happen on this street.
Cosas extrañas ocurren por la noche.
Strange things occur at night.
Third Person Preference
You will almost always see 'ocurrir' used in the 'it' (ocurre) or 'they' (ocurren) forms, because people don't usually 'happen'—events do.
Happen to do something
Mistake: “I happen to know (Yo ocurro saber).”
Correction: Use 'Resulta que sé' or 'Por casualidad sé'. 'Ocurrir' is only for events taking place, not for 'happening to be' something.
Related Translations
Learn Spanish with Inklingo
Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.