Meaning of "happen" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD HAPPEN

See hap1, -en1.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF HAPPEN

happen  [ˈhæpən]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF HAPPEN

Happen is a verb and can also act as an adverb.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb happen in English.

The adverb is an invariable part of the sentence that can change, explain or simplify a verb or another adverb.

WHAT DOES HAPPEN MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Definition of happen in the English dictionary

The first definition of happen in the dictionary is to come about or take place; occur. Other definition of happen is foll by to, to fall to the lot ; be a source of good or bad fortune. Happen is also to chance.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO HAPPEN

PRESENT

Present

I happen

you happen

he/she/it happens

we happen

you happen

they happen

Present continuous

I am happening

you are happening

he/she/it is happening

we are happening

you are happening

they are happening

Present perfect

I have happened

you have happened

he/she/it has happened

we have happened

you have happened

they have happened

Present perfect continuous

I have been happening

you have been happening

he/she/it has been happening

we have been happening

you have been happening

they have been happening

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I happened

you happened

he/she/it happened

we happened

you happened

they happened

Past continuous

I was happening

you were happening

he/she/it was happening

we were happening

you were happening

they were happening

Past perfect

I had happened

you had happened

he/she/it had happened

we had happened

you had happened

they had happened

Past perfect continuous

I had been happening

you had been happening

he/she/it had been happening

we had been happening

you had been happening

they had been happening

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will happen

you will happen

he/she/it will happen

we will happen

you will happen

they will happen

Future continuous

I will be happening

you will be happening

he/she/it will be happening

we will be happening

you will be happening

they will be happening

Future perfect

I will have happened

you will have happened

he/she/it will have happened

we will have happened

you will have happened

they will have happened

Future perfect continuous

I will have been happening

you will have been happening

he/she/it will have been happening

we will have been happening

you will have been happening

they will have been happening

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would happen

you would happen

he/she/it would happen

we would happen

you would happen

they would happen

Conditional continuous

I would be happening

you would be happening

he/she/it would be happening

we would be happening

you would be happening

they would be happening

Conditional perfect

I would have happen

you would have happen

he/she/it would have happen

we would have happen

you would have happen

they would have happen

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been happening

you would have been happening

he/she/it would have been happening

we would have been happening

you would have been happening

they would have been happening

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you happen
we let´s happen
you happen

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to happen

Past participle

happened

Present Participle

happening

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «HAPPEN»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «happen» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of happen

appear · arise · befall · betide · chance · come about · come off · come to pass · crop up · develop · ensue · eventuate · follow · materialize · occur · overtake · result · take place · transpire · turn out

TRANSLATION OF HAPPEN

Find out the translation of happen to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of happen from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «happen» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 发生
• Translator English - Spanish: ocurrir
• English: happen
• Translator English - Hindi: हो
• Translator English - Arabic: يَحْدُثُ
• Translator English - Russian: случаться
• Translator English - Portuguese: acontecer
• Translator English - Bengali: ঘটা
• Translator English - French: se passer
• Translator English - Malay: Berlaku
• Translator English - German: geschehen
• Translator English - Japanese: 起こる
• Translator English - Korean: 일어나다
• Translator English - Javanese: Kelakon
• Translator English - Vietnamese: xảy ra
• Translator English - Tamil: நடக்கும்
• Translator English - Marathi: घडले
• Translator English - Turkish: olmak
• Translator English - Italian: accadere
• Translator English - Polish: zdarzyć się
• Translator English - Ukrainian: траплятися
• Translator English - Romanian: a se întâmpla
• Translator English - Greek: συμβαίνω
• Translator English - Afrikaans: gebeur
• Translator English - Swedish: hända
• Translator English - Norwegian: hende

10 QUOTES WITH «HAPPEN»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word happen.

1

Muhammad Ali

It's the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.

2

Will Arnett

But as a result of that, there was, once the show ended, there was this talk for sort of four, five months about what was going to happen, and if we were going to move to Showtime, and if we were going to be bought by ABC or whatever.

3

J. L. Austin

Going back into the history of a word, very often into Latin, we come back pretty commonly to pictures or models of how things happen or are done.

4

Enid Bagnold

If a dog doesn't put you first where are you both? In what relation? A dog needs God. It lives by your glances, your wishes. It even shares your humor. This happens about the fifth year. If it doesn't happen you are only keeping an animal.

5

Ewen Bremner

If I'm not working, I have home time with my family, and if I spend that stressing what's going to happen next, then it's a waste. I have a lot to be thankful for.

6

Mehcad Brooks

Time heals everything. Time corrects everything. Time is the solution to every problem, I believe. A lot of things can happen with time. All that has to be there is the intention.

7

Emily Browning

I tend to over-analyse things. I'm not the type of person to flip a coin and let things happen.

8

Gro Harlem Brundtland

I have seen this happen in recent years with regard to pharmaceuticals and vaccines, where, working together, we are improving access to medicines and vaccines for infectious diseases in the poorest countries.

9

Carol Burnett

I'm glad I was born when I was. My time was the golden age of variety. If I were starting out again now, maybe things would happen for me, but it certainly would not be on a variety show with 28 musicians, 12 dancers, two major guest stars, 50 costumes a week by Bob Mackie. The networks just wouldn't spend the money today.

10

Deb Caletti

All of my books come from something that I happen to be working out at a given point in my life. It's kind of self-therapy.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «HAPPEN»

Discover the use of happen in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to happen and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision ...

Implementing your ideas is a skill that can be taught, and Belshy distills the core principles in this book.

Scott Belsky, 2011

Making It Happen: Fred Goodwin, RBS and the men who blew up ...

Based on more than 80 interviews and with access to diaries and papers kept by those at the heart of the meltdown, this is the definitive account of the RBS disaster, a disaster which still casts such a shadow over our economy.

Iain Martin, 2013

Miracles Happen: The Transformational Healing Power of ...

In Miracles Happen, Weiss, along with his daughter, Amy, shares these remarkable real-life stories to reveal how past-life regression holds the keys to our spiritual purpose.

Brian L. Weiss, Amy E. Weiss, 2012

What's the Worst That Could Happen?: A Rational Response to ...

The globe is warming! or The globe is not warming. We're the ones doing it! or It's a natural cycle. It's gonna be a catastrophe! or It'll be harmless. This is the biggest threat to humankind! or This is the biggest hoax in history.

Greg Craven, 2009

When Bad Things Happen to Good People

Since its original publication in 1981, When Bad Things Happen to Good People has brought solace and hope to millions of readers and its author has become a nationally known spiritual leader. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Harold S. Kushner, 2007

Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management

Topics in this new edition include: How to make things happen Making good decisions Specifications and requirements Ideas and what to do with them How not to annoy people Leadership and trust The truth about making dates What to do when ...

Scott Berkun, 2008

Making Hope Happen: Create the Future You Want for Yourself ...

Hope is also a leading indicator of success in relationships, academics, career, and business. With Making Hope Happen you can measure your level of hope and learn how to create and share it.

Shane J. Lopez, 2013

How Breakthroughs Happen: The Surprising Truth about how ...

Dispelling the myth that innovation is invention & revolution, this text argues that innovators past & present have employed a strategy of technology brokering to source, develop & exploit new ideas.

Andrew Hargadon, 2003

Write It Down, Make It Happen: Knowing What You Want - And ...

In WRITE IT DOWN, MAKE IT HAPPEN, Henriette Anne Klauser shows you how to write your own lifescript. Simply writing down your goals in life is the first step towards achieving them.

Henriette Anne Klauser, 2012

Make It Happen: The Hip-Hop Generation Guide to Success

" As he outlines his philosophy, Liles shares how he put his principles to work, chronicling his journey to the top and the stories of others -- executives, artists, mentors and friends -- he has worked with along the way.

Kevin Liles, 2005

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «HAPPEN»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term happen is used in the context of the following news items.

Here's what will happen if Iran cheats on the nuclear deal - Vox

First what would happen, almost inevitably, is that international inspectors would catch Iran. There are any number of points in the process ... «Vox, Jul 15»

Home-and-Home College Football Series That Need to Happen …

Texas and Texas A&M haven't met since 2011, and have no plans to do so again anytime in the future. This is one of several notable ... «Bleacher Report, Jul 15»

Greek debt-deal timeline: What has to happen next - MarketWatch

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras speaks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande, center, ... «MarketWatch, Jul 15»

Odds Are Something Odd Will Happen to Jordan Spieth - ABC News

And the three players who tried happen to be the three biggest names in golf over the last half-century. But it's more than a ball that bounces left ... «ABC News, Jul 15»

What would happen if you strapped a GoPro to a Jedi - Mashable

If Jedi had access to GoPros, there would pretty much never be a need for video games ever again because we could all live vicariously ... «Mashable, Jul 15»

Courtney Love on aging: 'Let it happen and accept it' | Page Six

“To me, aging gracefully is to let it happen and accept it. In my experience, fighting it always seems to backfire and make people look ridiculous ... «Page Six, Jul 15»

Robert Mathis to Colts: 'Let 2006 happen again' - NFL.com

"Let (Super Bowl season) 2006 happen again," Mathis told his teammates during their final minicamp practice, per the Colts' website. He was ... «NFL.com, Jul 15»

Obama's calling for sentencing reform: Will it happen? - The …

As President Obama prepares to make the case Tuesday afternoon for overhauling the nation's criminal justice system, bipartisan legislation in ... «Washington Post, Jul 15»

With religious affiliation on the decline, what should happen to …

But beyond the celebrity factor, this story highlights an important question about the future of religion: What should happen to hallowed ... «Washington Post, Jul 15»

Two U.S. teams on the F1 grid in 2016? It could happen | Formula 1 …

Promoter Tavo Hellmund and financier James Carney head US-based investment group looking to buy a Formula 1 team. There's a good ... «Motorsport.com, Jul 15»