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Conjugation Chart of “Ocurrir” (to occur/happen) in the Preterite (Past) Tense

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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Ocurrir”

The preterite of ocurrir is used to express a specific instance of something occurring or happening in the past. For example, you might say “The accident occurred at midnight,” indicating the exact moment of the event.

This is a regular -ir verb that follows the standard preterite conjugation pattern. The endings are added directly to the stem ‘ocurr-‘ without any modifications.

How to Use Ocurrir in the Preterite (Past) Tense

The preterite of ocurrir indicates a completed action of occurring or happening in the past.

To occur/happen: Describes events taking place, for example El accidente ocurrió ayer (The accident happened yesterday) or Todo ocurrió muy rápido (Everything happened very quickly).

To come to mind: Used for ideas occurring to someone, for example Se me ocurrió una idea brillante (A brilliant idea occurred to me).

Real Life Examples of Ocurrir in the Preterite (Past) Tense

El accidente ocurrió en la madrugada. (The accident occurred at dawn.)Los hechos ocurrieron exactamente así. (The events occurred exactly like that.)La explosión ocurrió sin previo aviso. (The explosion occurred without warning.)Todo ocurrió muy rápidamente. (Everything happened very quickly.)El milagro ocurrió cuando nadie lo esperaba. (The miracle occurred when nobody expected it.)Los cambios ocurrieron gradualmente. (The changes occurred gradually.)El encuentro ocurrió por casualidad. (The encounter occurred by chance.)Las protestas ocurrieron en todo el país. (The protests occurred throughout the country.)El descubrimiento ocurrió durante la expedición. (The discovery occurred during the expedition.)La tragedia ocurrió en un instante. (The tragedy occurred in an instant.)Los eventos ocurrieron en secuencia. (The events occurred in sequence.)El terremoto ocurrió a medianoche. (The earthquake occurred at midnight.)La reunión ocurrió según lo planeado. (The meeting occurred as planned.)Los malentendidos ocurrieron por falta de comunicación. (The misunderstandings occurred due to lack of communication.)El incidente ocurrió durante el festival. (The incident occurred during the festival.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Ocurrir (to occur/happen) in the Preterite (Past) Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.