How do you use "happen" in a sentence?

What happened at the meeting yesterday? I happened to bump into an old friend. Accidents can happen to anyone.

happen

Q: What does "happen" mean?

To take place; to occur by chance Happen means to occur or take place, often by chance rather than intention. Common expressions include 'happen to' (do something by chance: 'I happened to see her'), 'as it happens' (coincidentally), and 'what happened?' (asking about an event). It emphasises the unplanned nature of events.

Vocabulary Word BritishAmerican ★★★★★ Very Common Neutral

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Significado: To take place; to occur by chance

发生，碰巧

ocurrir, suceder, pasar

起こる、たまたま〜する

일어나다, 우연히 ~하다

Happen means to occur or take place, often by chance rather than intention. Common expressions include 'happen to' (do something by chance: 'I happened to see her'), 'as it happens' (coincidentally), and 'what happened?' (asking about an event). It emphasises the unplanned nature of events.

「happen」意味着发生或出现，通常是偶然的而非有意的。常见表达包括「happen to」（碰巧做某事：「I happened to see her」）、「as it happens」（碰巧）和「what happened?」（询问发生了什么）。它强调事件的非计划性质。

«Happen» significa ocurrir o tener lugar, a menudo por casualidad más que por intención. Las expresiones comunes incluyen «happen to» (hacer algo por casualidad: «me la encontré por casualidad»), «as it happens» (casualmente) y «what happened?» (preguntando sobre un evento). Enfatiza la naturaleza no planificada de los eventos.

「happen」は、意図的というよりも偶然に起こることを意味します。一般的な表現には「happen to」（偶然〜する：「I happened to see her」）、「as it happens」（たまたま）、「what happened?」（何が起こったか尋ねる）があります。出来事の計画外の性質を強調します。

Happen은 의도보다는 우연히 일어나거나 발생하는 것을 의미합니다. 흔한 표현으로는 'happen to'(우연히 ~하다: 'I happened to see her'), 'as it happens'(마침, 공교롭게도), 'what happened?'(무슨 일이 있었어?) 등이 있습니다. 사건의 계획되지 않은 성격을 강조합니다.

Ejemplos

What happened at the meeting yesterday?
昨天会议上发生了什么？
¿Qué pasó en la reunión ayer?
昨日の会議で何があったのですか？
어제 회의에서 무슨 일이 있었나요?
I happened to bump into an old friend.
我碰巧遇到了一个老朋友。
Me encontré por casualidad con un viejo amigo.
偶然、昔の友人に会いました。
우연히 옛 친구를 만났습니다.
Accidents can happen to anyone.
事故可能发生在任何人身上。
Los accidentes le pueden pasar a cualquiera.
事故は誰にでも起こりえます。
사고는 누구에게나 일어날 수 있습니다.

Pronunciación

Guía de uso

Contexto: general

Tono: neutral

Origen e historia

From Middle English 'happenen', from 'hap' meaning 'luck, fortune, chance', borrowed from Old Norse 'happ'. Related to 'happy', 'perhaps', and 'hapless' — all rooted in the idea of luck or chance.

Contexto cultural

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

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