What does ocurrir mean in English?

Ocurrir means "to happen/occur" in English.

How do you conjugate ocurrir in Spanish?

Ocurrir is conjugated across all Spanish tenses including present, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, subjunctive, and more. Each tense has specific conjugations for yo, tú, él/ella/usted, nosotros, vosotros, and ellos/ustedes. You can see complete conjugation tables with audio pronunciations on this page.

What are common idiomatic expressions with ocurrir?

Common idiomatic expressions using ocurrir include: "ocurrírsele algo a alguien" (to occur to someone / to come up with an idea), "¿qué ocurre?" (what's happening? / what's going on?), "pase lo que pase" (whatever happens / come what may). These expressions are frequently used in everyday Spanish conversation.

What verbs are related to ocurrir?

Verbs related to ocurrir include: ocurrirse. These verbs share similar meanings, stems, or conjugation patterns.

How do you use ocurrir in a sentence?

Example: "¿Qué ocurrió anoche?" which means "What happened last night?" in English.

What are synonyms for ocurrir?

Spanish synonyms for ocurrir include: pasar, suceder, acontecer. The exact synonym to use depends on the context and specific meaning intended.

Ocurrir

to happen/occur

🎯

Infinitive (infinitivo)

Base form of the verb

ocurrir

🏃

Gerund (gerundio)

Present participle (-ing form)

ocurriendo

📋

Past Participle

Used in compound tenses

ocurrido

Simple Tenses

⚡

Present Indicative (presente de indicativo)

Present actions and habitual activities

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	ocurro I happen/occur	I happen/occur
tú	ocurres you happen/occur	you happen/occur
él/ella/usted	ocurre he/she/you happen/occurs	he/she/you happen/occurs
nosotros	ocurrimos we happen/occur	we happen/occur
vosotros	ocurrís you all happen/occur	you all happen/occur
ellos/ustedes	ocurren they/you all happen/occur	they/you all happen/occur

🕰️

Imperfect Indicative (imperfecto de indicativo)

Ongoing past actions and descriptions

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	ocurría I used to happen/occur	I used to happen/occur
tú	ocurrías you used to happen/occur	you used to happen/occur
él/ella/usted	ocurría he/she/you used to happen/occur	he/she/you used to happen/occur
nosotros	ocurríamos we used to happen/occur	we used to happen/occur
vosotros	ocurríais you all used to happen/occur	you all used to happen/occur
ellos/ustedes	ocurrían they/you all used to happen/occur	they/you all used to happen/occur

📅

Preterit (pretérito)

Completed past actions

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	ocurrí I happen/occured	I happen/occured
tú	ocurriste you happen/occured	you happen/occured
él/ella/usted	ocurrió he/she/you happen/occured	he/she/you happen/occured
nosotros	ocurrimos we happen/occured	we happen/occured
vosotros	ocurristeis you all happen/occured	you all happen/occured
ellos/ustedes	ocurrieron they/you all happen/occured	they/you all happen/occured

🔮

Future (futuro)

Future actions and intentions

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	ocurriré I will happen/occur	I will happen/occur
tú	ocurrirás you will happen/occur	you will happen/occur
él/ella/usted	ocurrirá he/she/you will happen/occur	he/she/you will happen/occur
nosotros	ocurriremos we will happen/occur	we will happen/occur
vosotros	ocurriréis you all will happen/occur	you all will happen/occur
ellos/ustedes	ocurrirán they/you all will happen/occur	they/you all will happen/occur

🎯

Conditional (potencial simple)

Hypothetical and conditional actions

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	ocurriría I would happen/occur	I would happen/occur
tú	ocurrirías you would happen/occur	you would happen/occur
él/ella/usted	ocurriría he/she/you would happen/occur	he/she/you would happen/occur
nosotros	ocurriríamos we would happen/occur	we would happen/occur
vosotros	ocurriríais you all would happen/occur	you all would happen/occur
ellos/ustedes	ocurrirían they/you all would happen/occur	they/you all would happen/occur

💭

Present Subjunctive (presente de subjuntivo)

Subjective present actions and desires

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	ocurra that I happen/occur	that I happen/occur
tú	ocurras that you happen/occur	that you happen/occur
él/ella/usted	ocurra that he/she/you happen/occur	that he/she/you happen/occur
nosotros	ocurramos that we happen/occur	that we happen/occur
vosotros	ocurráis that you all happen/occur	that you all happen/occur
ellos/ustedes	ocurran that they/you all happen/occur	that they/you all happen/occur

🌙

Imperfect Subjunctive (imperfecto de subjuntivo)

Subjective past actions and hypothetical situations

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	ocurriera or ocurriese that I happen/occured	that I happen/occured
tú	ocurrieras or ocurrieses that you happen/occured	that you happen/occured
él/ella/usted	ocurriera or ocurriese that he/she/you happen/occured	that he/she/you happen/occured
nosotros	ocurriéramos or ocurriésemos that we happen/occured	that we happen/occured
vosotros	ocurrierais or ocurrieseis that you all happen/occured	that you all happen/occured
ellos/ustedes	ocurrieran or ocurriesen that they/you all happen/occured	that they/you all happen/occured

Compound Tenses

✅

Present Perfect (perfecto de indicativo)

Actions completed recently or with present relevance

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	he ocurrido I have happen/occured	I have happen/occured
tú	has ocurrido you have happen/occured	you have happen/occured
él/ella/usted	ha ocurrido he/she/you have happen/occured	he/she/you have happen/occured
nosotros	hemos ocurrido we have happen/occured	we have happen/occured
vosotros	habéis ocurrido you all have happen/occured	you all have happen/occured
ellos/ustedes	han ocurrido they/you all have happen/occured	they/you all have happen/occured

⏪

Pluperfect Indicative (pluscuamperfecto de indicativo)

Actions completed before another past action

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	había ocurrido I had happen/occured	I had happen/occured
tú	habías ocurrido you had happen/occured	you had happen/occured
él/ella/usted	había ocurrido he/she/you had happen/occured	he/she/you had happen/occured
nosotros	habíamos ocurrido we had happen/occured	we had happen/occured
vosotros	habíais ocurrido you all had happen/occured	you all had happen/occured
ellos/ustedes	habían ocurrido they/you all had happen/occured	they/you all had happen/occured

📍

Preterit Perfect (pretérito anterior)

Actions completed immediately before another past action

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	hube ocurrido I had happen/occured	I had happen/occured
tú	hubiste ocurrido you had happen/occured	you had happen/occured
él/ella/usted	hubo ocurrido he/she/you had happen/occured	he/she/you had happen/occured
nosotros	hubimos ocurrido we had happen/occured	we had happen/occured
vosotros	hubisteis ocurrido you all had happen/occured	you all had happen/occured
ellos/ustedes	hubieron ocurrido they/you all had happen/occured	they/you all had happen/occured

🎊

Future Perfect (futuro perfecto)

Actions that will be completed by a future time

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	habré ocurrido I will have happen/occured	I will have happen/occured
tú	habrás ocurrido you will have happen/occured	you will have happen/occured
él/ella/usted	habrá ocurrido he/she/you will have happen/occured	he/she/you will have happen/occured
nosotros	habremos ocurrido we will have happen/occured	we will have happen/occured
vosotros	habréis ocurrido you all will have happen/occured	you all will have happen/occured
ellos/ustedes	habrán ocurrido they/you all will have happen/occured	they/you all will have happen/occured

🔄

Conditional Perfect (potencial compuesto)

Actions that would have been completed under certain conditions

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	habría ocurrido I would have happen/occured	I would have happen/occured
tú	habrías ocurrido you would have happen/occured	you would have happen/occured
él/ella/usted	habría ocurrido he/she/you would have happen/occured	he/she/you would have happen/occured
nosotros	habríamos ocurrido we would have happen/occured	we would have happen/occured
vosotros	habríais ocurrido you all would have happen/occured	you all would have happen/occured
ellos/ustedes	habrían ocurrido they/you all would have happen/occured	they/you all would have happen/occured

💫

Subjunctive Present Perfect (perfecto de subjuntivo)

Subjective actions completed in relation to the present

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	haya ocurrido that I have happen/occured	that I have happen/occured
tú	hayas ocurrido that you have happen/occured	that you have happen/occured
él/ella/usted	haya ocurrido that he/she/you have happen/occured	that he/she/you have happen/occured
nosotros	hayamos ocurrido that we have happen/occured	that we have happen/occured
vosotros	hayáis ocurrido that you all have happen/occured	that you all have happen/occured
ellos/ustedes	hayan ocurrido that they/you all have happen/occured	that they/you all have happen/occured

🌌

Subjunctive Past Perfect (pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo)

Subjective actions completed before another past action

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	hubiera ocurrido that I had happen/occured	that I had happen/occured
tú	hubieras ocurrido that you had happen/occured	that you had happen/occured
él/ella/usted	hubiera ocurrido that he/she/you had happen/occured	that he/she/you had happen/occured
nosotros	hubiéramos ocurrido that we had happen/occured	that we had happen/occured
vosotros	hubierais ocurrido that you all had happen/occured	that you all had happen/occured
ellos/ustedes	hubieran ocurrido that they/you all had happen/occured	that they/you all had happen/occured

❗

Commands (imperativo)

Commands and direct orders

Person	Command	English
tú	ocurre	happen/occur! (you)
usted	ocurra	happen/occur! (you formal)
nosotros	ocurramos	let's happen/occur!
vosotros	ocurrid	happen/occur! (you all)
ustedes	ocurran	happen/occur! (you all)

🚫

Negative Commands (imperativo negativo)

Negative commands and prohibitions

Person	Command	English
tú	no ocurras	don't happen/occur! (you)
usted	no ocurra	don't happen/occur! (you formal)
nosotros	no ocurramos	let's not happen/occur!
vosotros	no ocurráis	don't happen/occur! (you all)
ustedes	no ocurran	don't happen/occur! (you all)

More About "ocurrir"

Idiomatic Expressions

ocurrírsele algo a alguien

to occur to someone / to come up with an idea

💡 When an idea comes to mind

¿qué ocurre?

what's happening? / what's going on?

💡 Asking about a situation

pase lo que pase

whatever happens / come what may

💡 Regardless of circumstances

Examples in Context

¿Qué ocurrió anoche?

What happened last night?

Preterite

Ocurren cosas extrañas en esta casa.

Strange things happen in this house.

Present

Se me ocurrió una idea brillante.

A brilliant idea occurred to me.

Preterite

Ha ocurrido un accidente.

An accident has occurred.

Present Perfect

No sé qué ocurrirá mañana.

I don't know what will happen tomorrow.

Future

Related Verbs

ocurrirse(to occur to, think of)

reflexive form - to occur to (someone)

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms:

pasar(to happen)

More common in everyday speech

suceder(to happen, occur)

Slightly more formal

acontecer(to happen, take place)

Formal or literary

Usage Notes

•Ocurrir is a regular -ir verb
•Main meanings: to occur, to happen
•Often used in third person for events: ocurre, ocurrió, ocurrirá
•Reflexive form "ocurrirse" means "to occur to someone" (to think of)
•Construction: "se me ocurre" (it occurs to me), "se te ocurre" (it occurs to you)
•More formal than "pasar" but less formal than "acontecer"
•Common question: "¿Qué ocurre?" (What's happening?)
•Often used for unexpected or notable events

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Ocurrir

Simple Tenses

Compound Tenses

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