happen
to happen, occur, or take place
verb
Meaning: to happen
Was ist passiert?
What happened?
Meaning: to occur
Der Unfall ist gestern passiert.
The accident occurred yesterday.
Meaning: to go by
Die Zeit ist schnell vorbeigepassiert.
Time went by quickly.
Meaning: to pass
Bitte passieren Sie den Zoll.
Please pass through customs.
Meaning: to pass by
Ich habe dich am Bahnhof passieren sehen.
I saw you passing by at the train station.
A1: Was ist passiert?
A1: What happened?
A1: Es ist nichts passiert.
A1: Nothing happened.
A2: Das kann jedem passieren.
A2: That can happen to anyone.
B1: Gestern ist ein Unfall passiert.
B1: Yesterday an accident happened.
B1: Ich habe gehört, dass er einen Fehler gemacht hat. Das darf ihm nicht passieren.
B1: I heard that he made a mistake. That should not happen to him.
B2: Wenn du so weitermachst, wird dir noch etwas Schlimmes passieren.
B2: If you continue like this, something bad will happen to you.
C1: Es wäre besser gewesen, wenn das nicht passiert wäre.
C1: It would have been better if that hadn't happened.
C1: Passiert es oft, dass du dich verläufst?
C1: Does it happen often that you get lost?
C2: Wenn ich gewusst hätte, was passieren würde, hätte ich anders gehandelt.
C2: If I had known what would happen, I would have acted differently.
The German verb 'passieren' is used to describe an event or action that happens, occurs, or takes place. It is often used to talk about things that happen unexpectedly or without intention.
For example, you can use 'passieren' to say that an accident happened: 'Ein Unfall ist passiert' (An accident happened). Or you can use it to talk about something that occurred in the past: 'Was ist gestern Abend passiert?' (What happened last night?).
In addition to events, 'passieren' can also be used to describe the passing of time or the progress of a situation. For instance, you might say 'Die Zeit vergeht schnell' (Time passes quickly) or 'Es passiert nichts Neues' (Nothing new is happening).