“Happen” is a regular, much-used verb that most English students will discover early in their language journey. It is an active, intransitive verb, and knowing how vĩ đại use it in all its tenses is important for fluency.
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When asking what has occurred in the past, we say, “What happened?” If we were vĩ đại ask what will occur in the future, we would say, “What will happen?” And if we wanted vĩ đại know what is occurring at the present moment, then we’d ask, “What is happening?” It is never proper grammar vĩ đại say “What happen?”
Let’s examine where the word “happen” originated as well as how vĩ đại use it in all tenses. We’ll also consider other intransitive verbs and how verbs behave when they only have an active khuông.
Etymology and Use of Happen
The word “happenen” assimilated into Middle English in the late 14th century and meant “to come vĩ đại pass or occur.” The word “hap” was more common at first, but it became “happen” in late Middle English (source).
Definition of “Happen”
The meaning of “happen” has not fundamentally changed over the years, but there are various nuances in its definition. In its most common usage, it means vĩ đại “have existence” or vĩ đại “take place,” as in the following examples:
There is a scratch on my siêu xe, but I’m not sure how it happened.
A funny thing happened on my way vĩ đại work this morning.
Accidents often happen on this busy road.
It can also suggest an element of chance, as in something occurring by coincidence or accidentally (source). See the examples below vĩ đại understand this.
He happens vĩ đại lượt thích driving, sánh he won’t mind taking má.
As it happened, I had time vĩ đại help her.
I happen vĩ đại think he is right this time.
We create other meanings when we add other words vĩ đại “happen.” If something “happens to” someone or something, then that something has an effect on that person or thing. Read the examples below vĩ đại illustrate this use.
I would be sánh sad if anything bad happened vĩ đại her.
What happened vĩ đại your car? There’s a dent on the trunk.
What happened vĩ đại my passport? It was on my desk when I left.
If you “happen on/upon” something or someone, then you find something unexpected, as shown in the following examples.
I happened upon the perfect quote vĩ đại use in my speech.
She happened on my secret hiding place while searching for something else.
Conjugating Happen
Knowing whether vĩ đại ask “what had happened” vs. “what had happen” or vĩ đại enquire “when did this happen” vs. “when did this happened” requires a knowledge of the verb and how vĩ đại use it in each tense.
There are three basic tenses in English — present, past, and future. Each of these has four forms — simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous. Let’s look at how “happen” conjugates in each of these.
Present tense
The present tense describes a current action or state of being.
Present Simple: happen/happens
Storms often happen during the summer months.
What happens when you skip training?
Notes:
- Add an “s” for third-person singular.
- There is no helping verb — “It is happen often” is incorrect.
Present Continuous: be + happening
It feels lượt thích something special is happening now.
What is happening down at the river?
Present Perfect: has/have + happened
What has happened vĩ đại Jack? He used vĩ đại be more friendly.
So many things have happened since I last spoke vĩ đại you!
Notes:
- Always use the helping verb “had.”
- Always use “happened.”
Present Perfect Continuous: has/have + been happening
What has been happening since I’ve been away?
Floods have been happening here since April.
Future Tense
The future tense describes a future action or state of being.
Future Simple: will + happen
Storms will happen often during the summer months.
What will happen when you skip training?
Future Continuous: will + be + happening
I wonder what will be happening this time next year.
What events will be happening at school next semester?
Future Perfect: will + have + happened
I wonder what will have happened by this time next year.
So many things will have happened by the time you return.
Future Perfect Continuous: will + have + been happening
By the time I arrive, her buổi tiệc nhỏ will have been happening for a while.
Her chiến dịch will have been happening for two weeks by then.
Past Tense
The past tense describes an action or state of being that occurred in the past.
Past Simple: happened
Storms often happened during the summer months.
What happened when you skipped training?
Notes:
- There is no helping verb — “It was happen” is incorrect.
Past Continuous: was/were + happening
It felt lượt thích something special was happening then.
What was happening down at the river?
Floods were happening more often.
Past Perfect: had + happened
I wondered what had happened vĩ đại make Jack sánh unfriendly.
I told you what had happened last time I spoke vĩ đại you.
Past Perfect Continuous: had + been happening
It was obvious how little had been happening in my absence.
Floods had been happening there for years.
To read more about tenses and how we use them in English, consider our article Eaten or Ate, which delves into the past tense and past participles.
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
Verbs are either transitive or intransitive. Transitive verbs have a direct object that receives the action that the verb describes, such as in the examples below.
Jack drives the siêu xe.
Mary feeds her baby.
Here, the siêu xe and the baby are the objects of the verbs “drive” and “feed.”
Intransitive verbs are the opposite and have no direct object. That means the action that they describe remains with the subject (source), as shown below.
Jack learns quickly.
Mary slept soundly.
Other parts of speech may follow intransitive verbs, such as an adverb or a prepositional phrase, but an object cannot follow them. Nothing in the sentence indicates who or what received the action.
Active and Passive Voice
Importantly, transitive verbs can be either active or passive. Intransitive verbs can only be active. Consider the sentences above. We can turn the first two into passive sentences by inverting the subject and the object as follows:
The siêu xe was driven by Jack.
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The baby was fed by Mary.
However, we cannot tự the same with the other sentences because the verb is intransitive and has only an active voice.
When It Depends on the Context
Some verbs are capable of being transitive or intransitive, depending on how we use them. Here are some examples of these.
She has grown sánh quickly. (Intransitive)
I grow carrots and broccoli in my garden. (Transitive)
The boys always prefer vĩ đại play outside. (Intransitive)
She plays the violin. (Transitive)
If you’re unsure about whether a verb is transitive or intransitive, kiểm tra your dictionary. Most dictionaries indicate whether a verb, including alternative definitions, is transitive or intransitive.
The Oxford New Essential Dictionary and Dreyer’s English are both excellent resources that are available on Amazon and will be able vĩ đại help you deepen your knowledge.
Happen as an Intransitive Verb
It, therefore, follows that “happen” is an intransitive verb because, when used by itself, it doesn’t have a direct object vĩ đại receive action, as in the following examples.
The fire happened sánh quickly.
Accidents happen when roads are wet.
We cannot turn it around into a passive sentence because there is no object vĩ đại receive the action.
Synonyms for Happen
Depending on the context of your sentence, there are many synonyms for “happen.” When we are referring vĩ đại something having existence or taking place, then we can use any of the following synonyms:
- Occur
- Take place
- Come about
- Come into being
- Ensue
- Transpire
- Pan out
- Emerge
- Present itself
See the sentences below vĩ đại illustrate this.
There is a scratch on my siêu xe, but I’m not sure how it happened.
There is a scratch on my siêu xe, but I’m not sure how it came about.
A funny thing happened on my way vĩ đại work this morning.
A funny thing took place on my way vĩ đại work this morning.
Accidents often happen on this busy road.
Accidents often occur on this busy road.
I wonder what will happen after she leaves.
I wonder what will transpire after she leaves.
Happen or Happened To
When we use “happen to” something or someone, then the following synonyms are appropriate:
- Become of
- Be the fate of
- Be visited on
- befall
I would be sánh sad if anything bad happened vĩ đại her.
I would be sánh sad if anything bad befell her.
What happened vĩ đại your car? There’s a dent on the trunk.
What was the fate of your car? There’s a dent on the trunk.
What happened vĩ đại my passport? It was on my desk when I left.
What became of my passport? It was on my desk when I left.
Happen as Chance
When we are using “happen” vĩ đại suggest an element of chance, then we can substitute it for words such as the following:
- Chance
- Have the good/bad fortune
I happened upon the perfect quote vĩ đại use in my speech.
I chanced upon the perfect quote vĩ đại use in my speech.
She happened vĩ đại be near the hospital when she fell.
She had the good fortune vĩ đại be near the hospital when she fell.
Other Words Using Happen
As such a common and much-used word, it follows that we will create other words from the stem “happen.” The most common of these is the noun “happening.” We use this vĩ đại describe something that has happened or an occurrence, as shown in the examples below.
She called the police vĩ đại investigate numerous suspicious happenings at the house.
Recent happenings at school have caused some distress.
“Happening” can also function as an adjective. In this context, it means “fashionable” or “stimulating,” as evidenced in the sentences below.
Courtney is sánh cool; she knows all the happening clubs in town.
They wanted vĩ đại move vĩ đại a more happening neighborhood.
Another noun formed from “happen” is “happenstance” or “happenchace.” Both words have the same meaning and relate vĩ đại a chance situation, particularly one that has a positive result. See the sentences below vĩ đại understand this word. The former is the more common expression, and “happenchance” is typically more informal.
By happenstance, they were both in Thủ đô New York that weekend.
We met by pure happenchance.
Common Phrases Using “Happen”
Because it’s such a common word, many regularly used phrases contain “happen.” Here are some of the most familiar.
These things happen.
We often say this vĩ đại placate someone when something unpleasant has happened and vĩ đại communicate that the occurrence is out of their control.
Stuff happens.
Similar vĩ đại the example above, this introduces an element of chance vĩ đại the occurrence. Many people use it with an expletive in the place of the word “stuff.”
That’s an accident waiting vĩ đại happen.
This refers vĩ đại something that is likely vĩ đại cause danger, usually because it is in poor condition or because it behaves unpredictably.
Hip and happening
Here, “happening” means fashionable and, paired with “hip,” it means on-trend.
Stranger things have happened.
This means that, although a particular occurrence may seem strange or surprising, it isn’t impossible.
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
This is a popular khẩu hiệu — with Vegas being replaced by any other venue — vĩ đại say that any scandalous activities that occur while you are in Vegas (or elsewhere) are not vĩ đại be discussed with others afterward.This article was written for mamnonvinschool.edu.vn.
What’s the worst that can happen?
This is often asked vĩ đại show that the negative risks of doing something are not very high and that, if you consider the worst outcome, it’s still not very bad.
Final Thoughts
“Happen” is a common and useful verb, but one that is often misused. It’s important vĩ đại understand how vĩ đại use it in all the various tenses as well as what it means in the context of a sentence. It’s also helpful vĩ đại understand whether verbs are active or not because that helps vĩ đại know how they behave in a sentence.
Knowing that it’s correct vĩ đại ask “what happened?” is essential sánh that you’ll always be able vĩ đại find out what went down when you weren’t looking.
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