The preterite of suceder is used to express when something specific happened at a defined moment in the past, for example Eso sucedió hace dos años (That happened two years ago). The preterite emphasizes the occurrence as a completed event.
This is a regular -er verb that, while typically used impersonally in the third person (sucedió), can be conjugated in all forms when used with personal subjects in certain contexts.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Suceder (to happen) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | sucedí |
| Tú | sucediste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | sucedió |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | sucedimos |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | sucedieron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Suceder (to happen) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Suceder in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The preterite of suceder expresses a completed occurrence or happening in the past.
To happen/occur: Describes an event taking place, for example Sucedió hace dos días (It happened two days ago) or Todo sucedió muy rápido (Everything happened very quickly).
To succeed/follow: Used for following in sequence or succession, for example El nuevo director sucedió al anterior (The new director succeeded the previous one).
Examples
Examples of Suceder in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Todo sucedió muy rápido aquella noche. (Everything happened very quickly that night.)
El accidente sucedió en la esquina. (The accident happened at the corner.)
Esto sucedió hace muchos años. (This happened many years ago.)
La explosión sucedió sin previo aviso. (The explosion happened without warning.)
El milagro sucedió cuando nadie lo esperaba. (The miracle happened when nobody expected it.)
Todo sucedió según lo planeado. (Everything happened as planned.)
El cambio sucedió gradualmente. (The change happened gradually.)
La tragedia sucedió durante la noche. (The tragedy happened during the night.)
El encuentro sucedió por casualidad. (The encounter happened by chance.)
Algo extraño sucedió en el laboratorio. (Something strange happened in the laboratory.)
La reunión sucedió sin contratiempos. (The meeting happened without setbacks.)
El eclipse sucedió al mediodía. (The eclipse happened at noon.)
La transformación sucedió durante la noche. (The transformation happened during the night.)
El incidente sucedió en el trabajo. (The incident happened at work.)
La celebración sucedió como estaba previsto. (The celebration happened as expected.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Suceder (to happen) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo sucedí | I happened |
| Tú sucediste | You happened |
| Él / Ella / Usted sucedió | He / She / You happened |
| Nosotros / Nosotras sucedimos | We happened |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes sucedieron | They / You all happened |
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.