ocurrió

Ocurrió is the third-person singular form of the Spanish verb ocurrir in the pretérito indefinido (simple past). Ocurrir means to happen or to take place, and ocurrir is used to narrate events or phenomena that occurred in the past. The form occurró carries an accent on the í to indicate the preterite stress pattern.

Etymology and form: ocurrir derives from Latin occurrere, meaning to meet or to happen. In modern Spanish, occasional variations in verb forms reflect standard conjugation patterns for -ir verbs, with the preterite ending -ió for third-person singular in this verb family.

Usage and nuance: ocurrir is used to indicate that something happened, often as a factual event in a narrative. It can introduce a fact with or without immediate cause, and can appear with or without the conjunction que, as in "Ocurrió un accidente" or "Ocurrió que olvidé las llaves." The expression “ocurrirle a alguien” can mean that an idea or thought occurred to someone, as in “Me ocurrió una idea,” a construction that uses a reflexive or pronominal form.

Related forms and synonyms: ocurrir is often compared with verbs like pasar, suceder, or realizar en ciertos contextos, though each carries its own nuance. The idea of an event happening in the past contrasts with other tenses of ocurrir—present or imperfect—to describe ongoing or repeated events.

Examples:

- Ayer ocurrió un robo en el centro.

- Ocurrió que olvidé las llaves al salir.

- Me ocurrió una idea interesante durante la reunión.

Ocurrió, like other verbs in its class, is a common tool in narrative Spanish for marking past events and for expressing ideas that “occur” to someone.