succede

Succede is the Italian verb succedere in its third-person singular present indicative form, and also the base for related tenses. The verb has two primary senses in contemporary Italian. Intransitively, it means to happen or occur. Transitively, it can mean to succeed someone in a sequence or in a role, often with the preposition a: succedere a qualcuno meaning to take over a position.

Etymology and related forms: succedere derives from Latin succedere, from sub- “under” plus cedere “to go/yield,” with the sense shift from “to come after” to “to happen.” The verb shares its root with English “succeed” and other Romance languages such as French succéder. The past participle for the sense “to happen” is successo, used with essere in compound tenses (È successo). For the sense “to succeed (someone),” the past participle is succeduto (È succeduto a…), also used with essere.

Conjugation and usage: the present tense forms are io succedo, tu succedi, lui/lei succede, noi succediamo, voi succedete, loro succedono. In the passato prossimo, è successo is used for events that occurred (It happened). When referring to succeeding a person in a role, one uses è succeduto a qualcuno nel ruolo (that person succeeded someone in the role) or, more simply, Marco è succeduto a Paolo nel ruolo.

Common expressions include succede che + subjunctive to introduce a clause (Succede che non posso venire) and the impersonal succede spesso che… meaning “it often happens that….”

Notes: succedere is versatile and common in both spoken and written Italian. Its meaning is largely determined by context and the preposition or construction that follows it.