avvenire

to happen

verb ahv-veh-NEE-reh Common

Origin: Latin advenire (to come to, to arrive), from ad- + venire

Also means

to come to pass

Usage Note

Avvenire is an essere verb — è avvenuto un incidente (an accident happened). Its past participle avvenuto agrees with the subject. It is formal/written compared to the more colloquial succedere or capitare (to happen). As a noun, l'avvenire (m.) means 'the future' — pensare all'avvenire (to think about the future). Irregular: present avviene, future avverrà.

Examples

"Cosa è avvenuto ieri sera?"

Natural Translation

What happened last night?

Literal Translation

What is happened last evening?

Related Words

Explore Italian by topic

ItalianNow

Italian Question Words: Chi, Cosa, Dove, Quando & More

Master Italian question words: chi, cosa, dove, quando, perché, come, quanto and quale. A usage-first guide that finally sorts che vs cosa vs quale.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

ItalianNow

Italian Noun Gender: Rules, Endings & Exceptions

Italian noun gender decoded: -o is usually masculine, -a feminine, but -zione and -tà are feminine, -ore and -ma masculine. Plus the trap words to memorize.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

ItalianNow

Ti Amo vs Ti Voglio Bene: I Love You in Italian

Ti amo is romantic love; ti voglio bene is tender affection for family and close friends. Here's exactly who to say each phrase to in Italian.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

ItalianNow

Italian Numbers 1 to 100: Count Like a Local

Learn Italian numbers 1 to 100 by mastering 0-20, the tens, and 3 spelling rules so you can generate any number from ventuno to novantanove on demand.

June 5, 2026 5 min read