to happen
Third Person
happens
Present Participle
happening
Past Tense
happened
Past Participle
happened
1
to come into existence by chance or as a consequence
- An unexpected storm can happen at any time of year.
- I never thought such a coincidence would happen to me.
- The meeting happened because everyone agreed it was necessary.
- Sometimes the best ideas happen when you least expect them.
- Traffic jams happen every morning on the way to work.
2
to occur by chance
- He happened to be busy with a meeting when I stopped by.
- It happened that a sudden rainstorm disrupted the outdoor concert we were attending.
- The restaurant happened to be closed when we got there.
- The window happened to be open.
- It happened that we ran into each other at the festival, even though we hadn’t planned to meet.
3
used in questions to politely inquire about the details of an event or situation
transitive
- Do you happen to know where the nearest pharmacy is?
- Could you happen to have the report ready for me?
- Is there a chance you happen to have any extra tickets for the concert?
- Is there any way you happen to have the contact information for the event organizer?
- Do you happen to remember the name of that book we discussed?
4
used to emphasize an unexpected or surprising fact
- That happens to be a very sensitive topic for me.
- The person you're insulting happens to be my best friend.
- That happens to be my car you just dented.
- You should know that happens to be my personal opinion you’re dismissing.
- I happen to find history incredibly fascinating, thank you very much.