happen
/ˈhæpən/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhæpən/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈha-pən -pᵊm/ (ame, mw) · /ˈhæp.ən/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhæp.ən/ (ame, ipa)
happen — verb
- happenpresent simple I / you / we / they
- happenshe / she / it
- happenedpast simple
- happening-ing form
1. When something occurs or starts to exist — for instance, a thunderstorm happenin
When something occurs or starts to exist — for instance, a thunderstorm happening at midnight, or a festival happening in the spring.
The accident happened at the intersection near Lakshmi's school.
Haruto called to ask what happened at the board meeting.
question word 'what' as subject of happen
Nobody knows when the next earthquake in the region will happen.
The wedding ceremony is happening next Saturday at St. Mark's Church.
Similar power failures happened twice last autumn across the village.
- occur
more formal; common in official or written contexts
- take place
often used for planned or scheduled events
- come about
slightly formal; focuses on how something developed
文法句型
something happens
it happens that ...
常見錯誤
2. When something affects a person or thing and produces a certain result for them
When something affects a person or thing and produces a certain result for them — for instance, an accident happening to a cousin, or an odd change happening to a machine.
What happened to your arm, Christopher? It looks very swollen.
'happen to' for asking about a person's condition
Nobody knows what happened to the orange cat that lived behind the bakery.
The same kind of misunderstanding happened to Valentina when she first moved to Japan.
Liam often wonders what happened to his childhood friends from primary school.
Something strange happened to the office network after the big software update.
文法句型
something happens to somebody / something
用法筆記
The person or thing affected must follow the preposition 'to'. The same word order reversed is wrong — 'happened him' is never correct.
常見錯誤
3. To do something or be in a particular state by chance and without planning — for
To do something or be in a particular state by chance and without planning — for example, happening to be at the same cafe as an old friend, or happening to know the answer to a stranger's question.
Élise happened to be standing right there when the delivery driver arrived.
happen to + infinitive for chance action
Ilan happened to mention your name at dinner, and everyone remembered you.
We happened to reach the airport gate at the same moment as the governor.
It so happened that Nadia was also looking for a new flat in the same district.
Do you happen to know if the library is open this Sunday afternoon?
- chance to
old-fashioned or literary; less common in everyday speech
- plan to
deliberate intention rather than chance
文法句型
somebody happens to do something
it (so) happens that ...
用法筆記
This sense is very common in polite questions ('Do you happen to know…') and in story-telling to introduce a coincidence.
常見錯誤
4. To find or meet a person or thing unexpectedly, without planning or searching —
To find or meet a person or thing unexpectedly, without planning or searching — for instance, happening upon an old letter while tidying a drawer, or happening on a pretty village during a drive.
Vivek happened upon a bundle of old love letters while clearing out his grandmother's attic.
happen upon + object for discovery by chance
Chidi happened on a charming little restaurant tucked away near the train station.
Tendai happened on a rare first-edition stamp at the Sunday flea market.
Lakshmi happened upon the perfect solution while taking a quiet walk in the park.
The young journalist happened upon a dusty box of secret files in the newspaper archive.
- come across
more common in everyday speech; less formal
- stumble on / stumble upon
similar register to 'happen on'; equally common
- discover by chance
explanatory paraphrase for learners
文法句型
somebody happens on/upon somebody/something
用法筆記
Considered formal or literary. 'Happen on' and 'happen upon' are interchangeable, though 'upon' sounds slightly more old-fashioned. Not used in casual conversation — 'come across' or 'stumble on' are more natural alternatives in everyday speech.
常見錯誤
happen — adverb
1. Used at the beginning or end of a statement to suggest that something is possibl
Used at the beginning or end of a statement to suggest that something is possible, but you are not certain — similar in meaning to 'perhaps' or 'maybe', but limited to regional dialects of British English.
Happen the train was delayed by the heavy snow in the mountains.
Happen Nadia is still waiting at the wrong bus stop outside the mall.
sentence-initial position
The hikers might come later, happen, if the weather clears up a bit.
Happen we should ask the old fisherman which path leads to the lake.
文法句型
happen + clause
用法筆記
This use of 'happen' is a dialect feature found mainly in Northern England and Scotland. It is not considered standard English and should generally not be used in formal writing or by learners of English outside of exposure to regional speech. The standard alternatives 'perhaps' or 'maybe' are safe in all contexts.