Learn Greek › B1 › συνέβαινε
συνέβαινε
was happening / used to happen /siˈnevene/
verbB1#1336 most common
Also: was occurring, was going on, it happened (repeatedly)
Example sentences
Δεν ήξερα τι συνέβαινε.
I didn't know what was happening.
Αυτό συνέβαινε συχνά όταν ήμουν μικρός.
This used to happen often when I was a child.
Κανείς στο χωριό δεν καταλάβαινε τι συνέβαινε.
No one in the village understood what was happening.
Ό,τι κι αν συνέβαινε γύρω της, εκείνη έμενε ήρεμη.
Whatever was happening around her, she stayed calm.
Παρακολουθούσαμε σιωπηλοί ό,τι συνέβαινε στην πλατεία.
We watched in silence whatever was happening in the square.
Μόνο αργότερα συνειδητοποίησα πόσο σοβαρό ήταν αυτό που συνέβαινε εκείνη την εποχή.
Only later did I realize how serious what was happening at that time really was.
Conjugation
| Present Active | Simple Past Active | Simple Future Active | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | συμβαίνω | συνέβην | θα συμβώ |
| 2sg | συμβαίνεις | συνέβης | θα συμβείς |
| 3sg | συμβαίνει | συνέβη | θα συμβεί |
| 1pl | συμβαίνουμε | συνέβημεν | θα συμβούμε |
| 2pl | συμβαίνετε | συνέβητε | θα συμβείτε |
| 3pl | συμβαίνουν | συνέβησαν | θα συμβούν |
Word family
Etymology
Συνέβαινε is the imperfect form of συμβαίνω, built from the prefix συν- (together, with) and the verb βαίνω (to go, to walk). The literal sense is things going along together, which shifted to mean coinciding or occurring. Greek uses this verb mainly in the third person, close to English impersonal it happens.
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