acontecer

Senses

1. 1.

   to happen

   to occur or take place

2. 2.

   to occur

   to come to mind or exist

3. 3.

   to befall

   to come upon or affect someone

Examples

• "O que aconteceu ontem à noite?"

  What happened last night?

• "Pode acontecer que ele chegue atrasado."

  It may happen that he arrives late.

• "Não sei o que lhe aconteceu, mas ela está triste."

  I don't know what happened to her, but she's sad.

Usage

High-frequency verb; often used with the impersonal subject *it* in English. Common in the structure "o que aconteceu?" (what happened?) and "pode acontecer" (it may happen). Frequently appears with indirect object pronouns (me, te, lhe) to mean "befall/happen to someone."