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"Something had come up" vs "Something came up"

Both phrases are correct and commonly used in English. They convey the same meaning of an unexpected event or situation occurring. The choice between 'something had come up' and 'something came up' depends on the context, the timing, and personal preference.
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Explained by Jennifer
Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: August 28, 2024 • 24746 views

"Something had come up"

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to indicate that an unexpected event or situation occurred in the past.

This phrase is used when referring to a past event that interrupted or changed plans. It implies that the event happened before a specific point in time.

Examples:

  • I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the meeting yesterday, something had come up at home.
  • She couldn't attend the party as something had come up at work.
  • Apr 23, 2018 ... It is rather a humorous reply, trying to make light of the situation, so be a little careful when using it.
  • Sep 7, 2019 ... “Something comes up” means that it happens often or always or sometimes. If you say,”Something has come up,” you are talking about something ...
  • Oct 27, 2018 ... The ending for EarthBound Beginnings was most likely meant to foreshadow EarthBound, similar to EarthBound's ending where it foreshadows Mother ...
  • Sep 22, 2019 ... Do you ever come up with an idea and then find out immediately after that someone else already did something similar? ... When an idea's time has ...
  • Jun 16, 2015 ... If the original plan was a group meet up, then cancelling is probably not such a big deal, as everyone else can still enjoy whatever they had ...
  • Mar 13, 2013 ... I definitely had to read it twice to figure out which you meant. I think it's a fair argument that if no thing exists, then the rule that ...
  • Dec 8, 2020 ... You can cancel the review even if you already agreed. To cancel, see I agreed to review an article but realized I have a conflict of...
  • Aug 24, 2022 ... Dragon combo does all of this as well. Unite give temporary invincibility and unstoppable and won't be stopped from scoring. All moves do 100% ...
  • May 12, 2019 ... It is thought provoking for me to read this memoir as I grew up (much later) in that town & eventually came to know her father.
  • Feb 22, 2021 ... He should turn himself in to the police and maintain that small amount of dignity that he hasn't already soiled. My heart goes out to the victim ...

Alternatives:

  • something unexpected happened
  • an unforeseen circumstance arose
  • an issue arose
  • an event occurred unexpectedly
  • an unplanned situation arose

"Something came up"

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to indicate that an unexpected event or situation occurred.

This phrase is used to describe a sudden or unexpected event that has happened, typically in the present or recent past.

Examples:

  • I can't meet you for lunch today, something came up at work.
  • Sorry for canceling our plans, something came up and I need to take care of it.
  • Jun 8, 2020 ... I just received a new Nest mini, and every time going to set it up I get the above message right after the Google Home app is trying to connect to it.
  • Nov 19, 2023 ... Response 1 of 35: Yes, it's rude to ask. You can say, "Hope everything is ok. Let me know if I can...(help / find somebody/ etc)"
  • Dec 25, 2022 ... You could be inviting townies over just before they need to go to work. Try inviting people over when you know they're not working or if it's a ...
  • Oct 7, 2020 ... As per the above suggestion, kindly submit a diagnostic report through the Sonos app when it happens, and reply with the confirmation number. I' ...
  • May 10, 2023 ... I matched with a girl on a dating app and it turns out she knew me because we go to the same gym. We start messaging each other a little bit and after a few ...
  • Feb 23, 2021 ... Open your wifi settings and find the gopro which shows up with the same name as your gopro. manually connect to it using the password you can find in the gopro ...
  • Apr 22, 2015 ... More natural expressions would include: 「ちょっと 用事ようじ (or 用)ができてしまって。」 「 急きゅう に 予定よてい が 入はい ってしまって。」
  • Mar 25, 2021 ... I think it may appear that giving short notice means it's not urgent, whereas same day notice that I had a medical emergency is more understandable.
  • Oct 6, 2011 ... Something came up = an urgent matter arose with my family' = in my family. (family in the wider sense of grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, cousins, ...
  • Dec 10, 2021 ... I have two apps and two devices I want to connect to with my OnePlus 5T running Android 10, OxygenOS 10.0.1 For Image Sync, this is what happens.

Alternatives:

  • an unexpected situation arose
  • an issue came to light
  • an unforeseen event occurred
  • an unplanned circumstance arose
  • an event popped up unexpectedly

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