Suceder Conjugation | How to Conjugate Suceder in Spanish

Suceder most commonly means “to happen,” but it can also mean “to succeed” or “to follow.” You will learn its regular -ER forms and the crucial person restriction that applies specifically to the “happen” sense.

Suceder conjugation at a glance

Suceder means “to happen / to succeed or follow.” Verb type: Regular ER. The key linguistic pattern is explained below so the project label does not hide how the verb actually behaves.

• suceder — to happen / to succeed or follow
• sucediendo — succeeding / following
• sucedido — succeeded / followed

Suceder gerund, past participle, and infinitive

The infinitive names the verb, the gerund helps build progressive constructions, and the past participle combines with haber — the perfect auxiliary — in compound forms. With haber, the participle does not change for gender or number.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	suceder	to happen / to succeed or follow
Gerund	sucediendo	succeeding / following
Past participle	sucedido	succeeded / followed
Compound infinitive	haber sucedido	to have succeeded / followed
Compound gerund	habiendo sucedido	having succeeded / followed

Suceder meaning and essential uses

The primary everyday meaning is “to happen.” RAE states that this meaning is used only in the infinitive, gerund, participle, and third person. Other established meanings, including “to succeed / replace” and “to follow,” permit personal forms. The lesson keeps those meanings distinct so full tables do not imply that yo sucedo means “I happen.”

• Eso sucede a veces. — That happens sometimes.
• Los cambios sucedieron muy deprisa. — The changes happened very quickly.
• La nueva directora sucedió a su predecesor. — The new director succeeded her predecessor.

Suceder conjugation pattern

Suceder is morphologically a regular -ER verb: its stem stays suced- and it takes standard -ER endings. The important exception is semantic, not morphological: RAE restricts the “happen / become reality” sense to non-finite forms and third-person use, while succession and replacement senses allow personal forms.

Suceder indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Suceder present tense conjugation

Use the present indicative for current situations, routines, repeated actions, and general facts involving this verb. The Spanish label is el presente de indicativo — present indicative.

Use the regular suced- stem with standard -ER present endings. In the common “happen” sense, ordinary use is restricted to third person, so personal English guides in the table reflect the valid succession / following sense.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	sucedo	I succeed / follow
Tú — you, singular informal	sucedes	you succeed / follow
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	sucede	he / she succeeds / follows; you succeed / follow (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	sucedemos	we succeed / follow
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sucedéis	you (plural, informal) succeed / follow
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	suceden	they / you (plural) succeed / follow

• Eso sucede con frecuencia en invierno. — That happens frequently in winter.

Suceder preterite conjugation

Use the preterite for completed or bounded past events, viewed as finished rather than background or habit. The Spanish label is el pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido — preterite.

Use the standard -ER preterite endings. For the common “happen” sense, third-person forms such as sucedió — it happened and sucedieron — they happened are the ordinary finite choices.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	sucedí	I succeeded / followed
Tú — you, singular informal	sucediste	you succeeded / followed
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	sucedió	he / she succeeded / followed; you succeeded / followed (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	sucedimos	we succeeded / followed
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sucedisteis	you (plural, informal) succeeded / followed
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	sucedieron	they / you (plural) succeeded / followed

• El accidente sucedió durante la noche. — The accident happened during the night.

Suceder imperfect conjugation

Use the imperfect for habitual, repeated, descriptive, or ongoing past situations without a completed boundary. The Spanish label is el pretérito imperfecto — imperfect.

Use the standard imperfect endings for this conjugation class.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	sucedía	I used to succeed / follow
Tú — you, singular informal	sucedías	you used to succeed / follow
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	sucedía	he / she used to succeed / follow; you used to succeed / follow (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	sucedíamos	we used to succeed / follow
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sucedíais	you (plural, informal) used to succeed / follow
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	sucedían	they / you (plural) used to succeed / follow

• Antes sucedían cortes de luz con frecuencia. — Power outages used to happen frequently.

Suceder present progressive

Use the present progressive for an action in progress around the present moment. This is a verbal periphrasis, not a simple tense. The Spanish label is la perífrasis estar + gerundio — present progressive periphrasis.

Build the present progressive with estar — to be as an auxiliary — plus sucediendo — succeeding / following. In the “happen” sense, the natural progressive is normally third-person, as in está sucediendo — it is happening.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	estoy sucediendo	I am succeeding / following
Tú — you, singular informal	estás sucediendo	you are succeeding / following
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	está sucediendo	he / she is succeeding / following; you are succeeding / following (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	estamos sucediendo	we are succeeding / following
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	estáis sucediendo	you (plural, informal) are succeeding / following
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	están sucediendo	they / you (plural) are succeeding / following

• Está sucediendo algo extraño en la oficina. — Something strange is happening in the office.

Suceder near future conjugation

Use the near future for plans or events viewed as approaching or already intended. This is a verbal periphrasis, not a simple tense. The Spanish label is la perífrasis ir a + infinitivo — near-future periphrasis.

Build the near future with ir a — to be going to — plus suceder — to happen / to succeed or follow. In the “happen” sense, the subject is ordinarily an event or thing rather than a speech participant.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	voy a suceder	I am going to succeed / follow
Tú — you, singular informal	vas a suceder	you are going to succeed / follow
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	va a suceder	he / she is going to succeed / follow; you are going to succeed / follow (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	vamos a suceder	we are going to succeed / follow
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	vais a suceder	you (plural, informal) are going to succeed / follow
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	van a suceder	they / you (plural) are going to succeed / follow

• Va a suceder algo importante mañana. — Something important is going to happen tomorrow.

Suceder future tense conjugation

Use the simple future for future events and, where context supports it, probability or conjecture. The Spanish label is el futuro simple — simple future.

Add the future endings directly to suceder — to happen / to succeed or follow.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	sucederé	I will succeed / follow
Tú — you, singular informal	sucederás	you will succeed / follow
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	sucederá	he / she will succeed / follow; you will succeed / follow (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	sucederemos	we will succeed / follow
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sucederéis	you (plural, informal) will succeed / follow
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	sucederán	they / you (plural) will succeed / follow

• El cambio sucederá después de la reunión. — The change will happen after the meeting.

Suceder conditional conjugation

Use the conditional for hypothetical outcomes, softened statements, or future-in-the-past meanings. The Spanish label is el condicional simple — conditional.

Add the conditional endings directly to suceder — to happen / to succeed or follow.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	sucedería	I would succeed / follow
Tú — you, singular informal	sucederías	you would succeed / follow
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	sucedería	he / she would succeed / follow; you would succeed / follow (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	sucederíamos	we would succeed / follow
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sucederíais	you (plural, informal) would succeed / follow
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	sucederían	they / you (plural) would succeed / follow

• Eso sucedería solo en condiciones especiales. — That would happen only under special conditions.

Suceder present perfect conjugation

Use the present perfect for past actions connected to the present. Its distribution varies across Spanish-speaking regions. The Spanish label is el pretérito perfecto compuesto — present perfect.

Combine the present forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with sucedido — succeeded / followed. The participle remains invariant with haber.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	he sucedido	I have succeeded / followed
Tú — you, singular informal	has sucedido	you have succeeded / followed
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	ha sucedido	he / she has succeeded / followed; you have succeeded / followed (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hemos sucedido	we have succeeded / followed
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habéis sucedido	you (plural, informal) have succeeded / followed
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	han sucedido	they / you (plural) have succeeded / followed

• Ya ha sucedido algo parecido. — Something similar has already happened.

Suceder past perfect conjugation

Use the past perfect for an action completed before another past reference point. The Spanish label is el pretérito pluscuamperfecto — past perfect / pluperfect.

Combine the imperfect forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with sucedido — succeeded / followed. The participle remains invariant with haber.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	había sucedido	I had succeeded / followed
Tú — you, singular informal	habías sucedido	you had succeeded / followed
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	había sucedido	he / she had succeeded / followed; you had succeeded / followed (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habíamos sucedido	we had succeeded / followed
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habíais sucedido	you (plural, informal) had succeeded / followed
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habían sucedido	they / you (plural) had succeeded / followed

• El problema ya había sucedido antes. — The problem had already happened before.

Suceder future perfect conjugation

Use the future perfect for an action expected to be completed before a future reference point. The Spanish label is el futuro compuesto — future perfect.

Combine the future forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with sucedido — succeeded / followed. The participle remains invariant with haber.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habré sucedido	I will have succeeded / followed
Tú — you, singular informal	habrás sucedido	you will have succeeded / followed
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habrá sucedido	he / she will have succeeded / followed; you will have succeeded / followed (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habremos sucedido	we will have succeeded / followed
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habréis sucedido	you (plural, informal) will have succeeded / followed
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrán sucedido	they / you (plural) will have succeeded / followed

• Para entonces, el cambio ya habrá sucedido. — By then, the change will already have happened.

Suceder conditional perfect conjugation

Use the conditional perfect for a hypothetical past result or an outcome that would have occurred under different circumstances. The Spanish label is el condicional compuesto — conditional perfect.

Combine the conditional forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with sucedido — succeeded / followed. The participle remains invariant with haber.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habría sucedido	I would have succeeded / followed
Tú — you, singular informal	habrías sucedido	you would have succeeded / followed
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habría sucedido	he / she would have succeeded / followed; you would have succeeded / followed (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habríamos sucedido	we would have succeeded / followed
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habríais sucedido	you (plural, informal) would have succeeded / followed
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrían sucedido	they / you (plural) would have succeeded / followed

• Eso habría sucedido de todos modos. — That would have happened anyway.

Suceder subjunctive conjugations

Suceder present subjunctive conjugation

Use the present subjunctive in subordinate clauses triggered by wishes, influence, emotion, evaluation, doubt, necessity, possibility, or similar environments. The Spanish label is el presente de subjuntivo — present subjunctive.

Use the regular -ER present-subjunctive endings. In the “happen” sense, forms such as suceda — that it happen and sucedan — that they happen are the ordinary finite uses.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	suceda	that I succeed / follow
Tú — you, singular informal	sucedas	that you succeed / follow
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	suceda	that he / she succeed / follow; that you succeed / follow (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	sucedamos	that we succeed / follow
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sucedáis	that you (plural, informal) succeed / follow
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	sucedan	that they / you (plural) succeed / follow

• Espero que no suceda nada grave. — I hope nothing serious happens.

Suceder imperfect subjunctive conjugation

Use the imperfect subjunctive in past or hypothetical subordinate contexts, including reported wishes, requests, evaluations, and conditions. The Spanish label is el imperfecto de subjuntivo — imperfect subjunctive.

The main table uses the accepted -ra series, built from the third-person plural preterite stem. The accepted -se series is shown after the main examples.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	sucediera	that I succeeded / followed / were to succeed / follow
Tú — you, singular informal	sucedieras	that you succeeded / followed / were to succeed / follow
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	sucediera	that he / she succeeded / followed / were to succeed / follow; that you succeeded / followed / were to succeed / follow (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	sucediéramos	that we succeeded / followed / were to succeed / follow
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sucedierais	that you (plural, informal) succeeded / followed / were to succeed / follow
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	sucedieran	that they / you (plural) succeeded / followed / were to succeed / follow

• No esperaba que sucediera tan rápido. — I did not expect it to happen so quickly.

The accepted -se series is also standard in many contexts; it should not be substituted mechanically where a construction has a documented preference or restriction.

• sucediese — that I succeeded / followed / were to succeed / follow
• sucedieses — that you succeeded / followed / were to succeed / follow
• sucediese — that he / she / you (formal) succeeded / followed / were to succeed / follow
• sucediésemos — that we succeeded / followed / were to succeed / follow
• sucedieseis — that you (plural, informal) succeeded / followed / were to succeed / follow
• sucediesen — that they / you (plural) succeeded / followed / were to succeed / follow

Suceder future subjunctive conjugation

Use the future subjunctive only as a reference form for rare modern uses, especially formal, legal, literary, proverbial, or historical language. The Spanish label is el futuro de subjuntivo — future subjunctive.

Rare in modern everyday Spanish.

This reference paradigm comes from the same past-stem family used by the imperfect subjunctive. It is rare in modern everyday Spanish and survives mainly in formal, legal, literary, proverbial, or historical contexts.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	sucediere	that I should succeed / follow (rare/formal)
Tú — you, singular informal	sucedieres	that you should succeed / follow (rare/formal)
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	sucediere	that he / she should succeed / follow (rare/formal); that you should succeed / follow (formal; rare/formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	sucediéremos	that we should succeed / follow (rare/formal)
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	sucediereis	that you (plural, informal) should succeed / follow (rare/formal)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	sucedieren	that they / you (plural) should succeed / follow (rare/formal)

• Si sucediere un incidente, se activará el protocolo. — If an incident should occur, the protocol will be activated.

Suceder present perfect subjunctive conjugation

Use the present perfect subjunctive for a completed action viewed through a present subjunctive trigger. The Spanish label is el pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo — present perfect subjunctive.

Combine the present subjunctive forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with sucedido — succeeded / followed.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	haya sucedido	that I have succeeded / followed
Tú — you, singular informal	hayas sucedido	that you have succeeded / followed
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	haya sucedido	that he / she has succeeded / followed; that you have succeeded / followed (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hayamos sucedido	that we have succeeded / followed
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hayáis sucedido	that you (plural, informal) have succeeded / followed
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hayan sucedido	that they / you (plural) have succeeded / followed

• Lamento que haya sucedido este problema. — I am sorry that this problem has happened.

Suceder past perfect subjunctive conjugation

Use the past perfect subjunctive for an action completed before another past or hypothetical reference point in a subjunctive context. The Spanish label is el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo — past perfect subjunctive.

Combine the -ra imperfect subjunctive forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with sucedido — succeeded / followed. The hubiese series is also accepted and is shown below.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiera sucedido	that I had succeeded / followed
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieras sucedido	that you had succeeded / followed
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiera sucedido	that he / she had succeeded / followed; that you had succeeded / followed (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéramos sucedido	that we had succeeded / followed
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubierais sucedido	that you (plural, informal) had succeeded / followed
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieran sucedido	that they / you (plural) had succeeded / followed

• Ojalá no hubiera sucedido el accidente. — I wish the accident had not happened.

The hubiese series is an accepted alternative in many contexts.

• hubiese sucedido — that I had succeeded / followed
• hubieses sucedido — that you had succeeded / followed
• hubiese sucedido — that he / she / you (formal) had succeeded / followed
• hubiésemos sucedido — that we had succeeded / followed
• hubieseis sucedido — that you (plural, informal) had succeeded / followed
• hubiesen sucedido — that they / you (plural) had succeeded / followed

Suceder future perfect subjunctive conjugation

Use the future perfect subjunctive as a rare reference form for an action completed before another future point in formal or historical-style contexts. The Spanish label is el futuro perfecto de subjuntivo — future perfect subjunctive.

Rare in modern everyday Spanish.

Combine the future subjunctive forms of haber — the perfect auxiliary — with sucedido — succeeded / followed. This system is rare in modern everyday Spanish.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiere sucedido	that I should have succeeded / followed (rare/formal)
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieres sucedido	that you should have succeeded / followed (rare/formal)
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiere sucedido	that he / she should have succeeded / followed (rare/formal); that you should have succeeded / followed (formal; rare/formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéremos sucedido	that we should have succeeded / followed (rare/formal)
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubiereis sucedido	that you (plural, informal) should have succeeded / followed (rare/formal)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieren sucedido	that they / you (plural) should have succeeded / followed (rare/formal)

• Si hubiere sucedido un incidente, deberá constar en el informe. — If an incident should have occurred, it must appear in the report.

Suceder imperative and commands

Commands address other people directly. Spanish uses imperative forms and present-subjunctive forms according to person and polarity; there is no ordinary yo command.

Suceder affirmative commands

Commands do not normally use the “happen” sense. The table therefore uses the valid succession / following sense, where a person can be told to succeed or follow someone.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	sucede	succeed / follow!
Usted — you, singular formal	suceda	succeed / follow! (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; exhortative “let’s…”	sucedamos	let’s succeed / follow!
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	suceded	succeed / follow! (plural, informal, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	sucedan	succeed / follow! (plural)

• Sucede a tu predecesor en el cargo con responsabilidad. — Succeed your predecessor in the position responsibly.

Suceder negative commands

Negative commands likewise belong to the succession / following sense, not the person-restricted “happen” sense. They use present-subjunctive-based forms.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no sucedas	do not succeed / follow!
Usted — you, singular formal	no suceda	do not succeed / follow! (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; exhortative “let’s…”	no sucedamos	let’s not succeed / follow!
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no sucedáis	do not succeed / follow! (plural, informal, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no sucedan	do not succeed / follow! (plural)

• No sucedas al director hasta que el nombramiento sea oficial. — Do not succeed the director until the appointment is official.

Common constructions with Suceder

For the common event sense, suceder — to happen — normally has a thing or event as its third-person subject. In the succession sense, suceder a + person — to succeed a person — permits ordinary personal conjugation.

• ¿Qué sucedió ayer? — What happened yesterday?
• La vicepresidenta sucedió al director. — The vice president succeeded the director.

Example sentences with Suceder

These examples reinforce the target verb across several useful systems and contexts.

• Algo extraño sucede en esta sala. — Something strange is happening in this room.
• Ayer sucedió un accidente cerca de aquí. — Yesterday an accident happened near here.
• Antes sucedían pequeños cortes de electricidad. — Small power outages used to happen before.
• Va a suceder algo importante esta semana. — Something important is going to happen this week.
• Es posible que suceda algo inesperado. — Something unexpected may happen.
• Este mes han sucedido varios cambios importantes. — Several important changes have happened this month.
• Sucede a tu mentor con responsabilidad. — Succeed your mentor responsibly.
• No sucedas a nadie sin conocer bien el cargo. — Do not succeed anyone without knowing the position well.

Regional and usage notes for Suceder

The key usage note is semantic rather than regional: the “happen” sense is third-person and non-finite, while personal forms belong to succession, replacement, or following senses. Do not transfer the English guide “happen” mechanically to every row.

Rare and reference forms of Suceder

The future subjunctive and future perfect subjunctive above are already marked as rare in modern everyday Spanish. The preterite anterior is another formal or literary reference form and is uncommon in present-day conversation.

• Apenas hubo sucedido el accidente, llegaron los servicios de emergencia. — As soon as the accident had happened, the emergency services arrived.

Use Suceder by choosing the intended meaning and time frame first, then applying its verified morphology. Keep rare reference systems distinct from the forms used in ordinary modern conversation.