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sopraggiungere

to arrive unexpectedly

verb soh-prahd-JOON-jeh-reh Rare

Also means

to supervene

Usage Note

Sopraggiungere is a compound of sopra (above, upon) + giungere (to arrive). It takes essere as its auxiliary: è sopraggiunto un imprevisto (an unexpected problem arose). It carries the nuance of arriving suddenly or on top of an already existing situation — a complication that 'descends'. It is formal or literary; in everyday speech Italians often prefer arrivare all'improvviso or capitare.

Examples

"È sopraggiunto un temporale durante la gita."

Natural Translation

A storm arrived unexpectedly during the trip.

Literal Translation

There-arrived-suddenly a storm during the trip.

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