happen
happens
happening
happened
Happen means to occur or take place. Regular verb: happen-happened-happened.
Meanings
- To occur or take place
- To chance to be
- To come about
Common Collocations
happen to be
what happened
happen again
things happen
Tip for Learners
Happen to means by chance. "I happened to see him yesterday."
Present Simple
| I | happen |
| you | happen |
| he/she/it | happens |
| we | happen |
| they | happen |
Examples - Present Simple
- I happen to know the answer.
- You happen to be in the right place.
- It happens all the time.
- We happen to live nearby.
- These things happen unexpectedly.
Present Continuous
| I | am happening |
| you | are happening |
| he/she/it | is happening |
| we | are happening |
| they | are happening |
Examples - Present Continuous
- I am happening upon new discoveries.
- Something exciting is happening downtown.
- Change is happening rapidly.
- Great things are happening here.
- Events are happening as we speak.
Present Perfect
| I | have happened |
| you | have happened |
| he/she/it | has happened |
| we | have happened |
| they | have happened |
Examples - Present Perfect
- I have happened upon a great idea.
- Something strange has happened.
- It has happened before.
- Changes have happened quickly.
- Many things have happened since then.
Present Perfect Continuous
| I | have been happening |
| you | have been happening |
| he/she/it | has been happening |
| we | have been happening |
| they | have been happening |
Examples - Present Perfect Continuous
- Strange things have been happening lately.
- Changes have been happening rapidly.
- Interesting events have been happening.
- Improvements have been happening steadily.
- Developments have been happening quickly.
Past Simple
| I | happened |
| you | happened |
| he/she/it | happened |
| we | happened |
| they | happened |
Examples - Past Simple
- I happened to see her yesterday.
- Something unexpected happened.
- It happened last night.
- The accident happened suddenly.
- Everything happened so fast.
Past Continuous
| I | was happening |
| you | were happening |
| he/she/it | was happening |
| we | were happening |
| they | were happening |
Examples - Past Continuous
- Something strange was happening outside.
- Changes were happening rapidly.
- Events were happening simultaneously.
- Things were happening quickly.
- Developments were happening behind the scenes.
Past Perfect
| I | had happened |
| you | had happened |
| he/she/it | had happened |
| we | had happened |
| they | had happened |
Examples - Past Perfect
- I realized what had happened.
- Something bad had happened earlier.
- It had happened before we arrived.
- Changes had happened overnight.
- Many things had happened by then.
Past Perfect Continuous
| I | had been happening |
| you | had been happening |
| he/she/it | had been happening |
| we | had been happening |
| they | had been happening |
Examples - Past Perfect Continuous
- Strange things had been happening for weeks.
- Changes had been happening gradually.
- Events had been happening frequently.
- Developments had been happening quietly.
- Improvements had been happening steadily.
Future Simple
| I | will happen |
| you | will happen |
| he/she/it | will happen |
| we | will happen |
| they | will happen |
Examples - Future Simple
- Something great will happen soon.
- It will happen eventually.
- Changes will happen over time.
- Good things will happen to you.
- The meeting will happen tomorrow.
Future Continuous
| I | will be happening |
| you | will be happening |
| he/she/it | will be happening |
| we | will be happening |
| they | will be happening |
Examples - Future Continuous
- Something exciting will be happening tonight.
- Changes will be happening soon.
- Events will be happening all week.
- Things will be happening quickly.
- Developments will be happening rapidly.
Future Perfect
| I | will have happened |
| you | will have happened |
| he/she/it | will have happened |
| we | will have happened |
| they | will have happened |
Examples - Future Perfect
- Something will have happened by then.
- It will have happened before you arrive.
- Changes will have happened by next year.
- Many things will have happened.
- The event will have happened already.
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 |
| they | will have been happening |
Examples - Future Perfect Continuous
- Changes will have been happening for years.
- Events will have been happening all week.
- Developments will have been happening rapidly.
- Improvements will have been happening steadily.
- Things will have been happening behind the scenes.