Ocorriam

Ocorrriam is the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of the Portuguese verb ocorrer, meaning to occur or to happen. It is used to describe events in the past that were ongoing or habitual, and it commonly appears in narrative or descriptive writing to convey how things used to unfold over time.

Conjugation and use: As a regular -er verb, ocorrer follows standard conjugation patterns in the imperfect. Ocorrir in the imperfect provides a sense of continuity or repetition in the past. Example: “Naquela época, os problemas ocorriam com frequência.” This form helps situate actions within a past timeframe without specifying a definite end point.

Etymology: Ocorrer comes from Latin occurrere, literally meaning to run toward or to meet, and entered Portuguese with the general sense of something happening or taking place. The specific imperfect form “ocorriam” reflects standard inflection for the third-person plural in that tense.

Usage notes: Ocorrer and its forms are widely used in both Brazilian and European Portuguese. Ocorriam is most often found in past-tense contexts, especially in longer narratives or reports describing recurring events. It should be distinguished from the imperfect subjunctive forms such as ocorressem or occurssem, which appear in subordinate clauses expressing hypotheticals or wishes.

See also: ocorrer, occorrência, ocorrência (noun), and related verb forms.