történhet

Történhet is a Hungarian verb meaning to happen, to occur, or to take place. It is commonly used to express that an event may take place or is possible, rather than asserting that it has already occurred. The form is associated with the potential mood, typically conveyed by the suffix -hat/-het, as in Ez történhet, meaning This can happen.

In contrast, the present indicative form történik expresses something that happens now or regularly, while the past form történt denotes that something happened. The verb also appears in longer compounds such as megtörténik (it happens, it has happened) and előfordulhat, hogy történik/ történhet (it may occur that [something] happens).

Etymology and related forms: The verb tör-ten- is native to Hungarian and is linked to the noun történet, meaning story or history, as well as to the past participle történt, meaning happened. The pair tör-ténik and tör-ténhet reflect aspects of event sequence and mood in Hungarian rather than separate lexical roots. The broader family includes related forms used to discuss events, narratives, and their occurrence.

Usage notes: Történhet is common in discussions of possible outcomes, forecasts, or hypothetical scenarios. It also appears in impersonal constructions and in clauses introduced by előfordulhat, hogy (it may happen that). Because Hungarian marks modality in the verb form, tör-ténhet often translates as “it can happen,” “it may happen,” or “could happen,” depending on context.

See also: történet (story/history), történt (happened), megtörténik (it happens), előfordul (to occur, to occur).