Passen ("to fit, to suit, to be convenient") is a weak dative verb of very high frequency. Its grammar is the opposite of what English instinct suggests: the person for whom something fits or works is not the subject but a dative object, and the thing that fits is the subject. Das passt mir literally reads "that fits to-me" — das is the subject, mir is the dative. Mastering passen means mastering the dative-verb mindset, which is exactly why it is on this list. As a bonus it also has the passen zu + Dativ pattern for things that match or go together.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Präteritum | Partizip II (auxiliary) |
|---|---|---|
| passen | passte | gepasst (hat) |
Read this as: passen – passte – hat gepasst. It is a regular weak verb. The stem ends in -ss-, which matters for spelling: the participle is gepasst (double s, then t), and after a short vowel the ß never appears here — it stays ss throughout (passt, gepasst). The auxiliary is haben.
The dative-verb logic
This is the crux. With passen, German marks the beneficiary — the person something suits — in the dative. The grammatical subject is the thing that fits or works:
Passt dir der Termin am Freitag?
Does Friday's appointment work for you? (der Termin = subject; dir = dative)
Diese Hose passt mir nicht mehr.
These trousers don't fit me anymore. (die Hose = subject; mir = dative)
Because the dative object is not the subject, the verb agrees with the thing, not the person: plural subject → plural verb (Die Schuhe passen mir — "the shoes fit me"). English collapses both senses into "fit/suit me," so the dative is invisible to an English speaker and easy to drop. For the broader class, see Dative Verbs and The Dative Case.
The three meanings
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| etwas passt jemandem | fits / suits / works for someone (dative) | Der Termin passt mir. |
| etwas passt (in/auf …) | physically fits (into / onto) | Das passt nicht in den Koffer. |
| etwas passt zu + Dativ | matches / goes with | Der Schal passt zu deiner Jacke. |
Der Schrank passt nicht durch die Tür.
The wardrobe won't fit through the door. (physical fit)
Rot passt gut zu deinen Augen.
Red goes well with your eyes. (passen zu + dative = match)
Präsens (present)
Because the stem ends in -ss-, the du-form does **not add a second s: du passt (not passst); the er/sie/es- and ihr-*forms also surface as *passt.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | passe |
| du | passt |
| er / sie / es | passt |
| wir | passen |
| ihr | passt |
| sie / Sie | passen |
Wenn es dir passt, treffen wir uns um acht.
If it works for you, we'll meet at eight. (informal; dir dative)
Präteritum (simple past)
The -ss- stem inserts a linking -e- before the -te ending → passte.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | passte |
| du | passtest |
| er / sie / es | passte |
| wir | passten |
| ihr | passtet |
| sie / Sie | passten |
Der Anzug passte ihm wie angegossen.
The suit fit him like a glove. (narrative; ihm dative + idiom)
Perfekt (present perfect)
Present of haben + gepasst.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe gepasst |
| du | hast gepasst |
| er / sie / es | hat gepasst |
| wir | haben gepasst |
| ihr | habt gepasst |
| sie / Sie | haben gepasst |
Der Termin hat mir leider gar nicht gepasst.
Unfortunately the appointment didn't work for me at all. (informal; mir dative)
See Past Participles of Weak Verbs for the ge-…-t pattern (here ge-pass-t → gepasst).
Plusquamperfekt (past perfect)
Past of the auxiliary (hatte) + gepasst.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte gepasst |
| du | hattest gepasst |
| er / sie / es | hatte gepasst |
| wir | hatten gepasst |
| ihr | hattet gepasst |
| sie / Sie | hatten gepasst |
Das Kleid hatte ihr als Kind noch gepasst, jetzt nicht mehr.
The dress had still fit her as a child, but not anymore.
Futur I
werden + the infinitive passen.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde passen |
| du | wirst passen |
| er / sie / es | wird passen |
| wir | werden passen |
| ihr | werdet passen |
| sie / Sie | werden passen |
Der neue Schrank wird sicher in die Ecke passen.
The new wardrobe will surely fit in the corner.
Imperativ (commands)
Because passen is rarely something you command someone to do (it describes a state, not a controllable action), its imperative is uncommon — but it exists, chiefly in the set phrase Pass auf! — which is actually the separable verb aufpassen (see below), not plain passen.
| Addressee | Form |
|---|---|
| du | pass |
| ihr | passt |
| Sie | passen Sie |
Konjunktiv II (would / hypothetical)
The synthetic form equals the Präteritum (passte), so it is unambiguous and is actually used in speech; the würde-form is also fine.
| Person | synthetic | würde-form |
|---|---|---|
| ich | passte | würde passen |
| du | passtest | würdest passen |
| er / sie / es | passte | würde passen |
| wir | passten | würden passen |
| ihr | passtet | würdet passen |
| sie / Sie | passten | würden passen |
Würde dir Mittwoch besser passen?
Would Wednesday suit you better? (polite; dir dative)
Common idioms and fixed expressions
| Expression | English |
|---|---|
| Das passt (mir). | That works (for me). / That's fine. |
| Passt schon! | It's fine / no worries. (informal) |
| Das passt wie die Faust aufs Auge. | It clashes badly / it doesn't go at all. (ironic idiom) |
| jemandem passt etwas nicht | someone isn't happy about something |
Passt schon, mach dir keine Sorgen.
It's fine, don't worry about it. (informal)
passen vs gefallen vs aufpassen
Two confusions are worth heading off:
- passen vs gefallen. Both are dative verbs, but passen is about suitability/fit (size, timing, matching), while gefallen is about liking/appeal ("to please"). Die Jacke gefällt mir = "I like the jacket"; Die Jacke passt mir = "the jacket fits me." See gefallen.
- passen vs aufpassen — the false-friend trap. Aufpassen is a different, separable verb meaning "to pay attention / watch out / take care of," not "to fit." Pass auf! = "Watch out!", never "It fits!" See aufpassen.
Die Schuhe gefallen mir, aber sie passen mir nicht.
I like the shoes, but they don't fit me. (gefallen = like vs passen = fit, both dative)
Common Mistakes
❌ Ich passe nicht diese Jeans.
Wrong subject/case — the trousers are the subject and you are the dative object.
✅ Diese Jeans passt mir nicht.
These jeans don't fit me.
❌ Der Termin passt mich.
Accusative for a dative verb — passen takes the dative mir, not the accusative mich.
✅ Der Termin passt mir.
The appointment works for me.
❌ Pass auf — es passt schon!
Confusing aufpassen (watch out) with passen (fit); the intended meaning of the warning is aufpassen.
✅ Pass auf! / Das passt schon.
Watch out! / That's fine. (two different verbs)
❌ Der Schal passt mit deiner Jacke.
Wrong preposition — 'to match' is passen zu, not passen mit.
✅ Der Schal passt zu deiner Jacke.
The scarf goes with your jacket.
❌ Hat dir der Termin gepassen?
Wrong participle — the weak participle is gepasst, not gepassen.
✅ Hat dir der Termin gepasst?
Did the appointment work for you?
Key Takeaways
- Principal parts: passen – passte – hat gepasst (weak, haben-auxiliary).
- It is a dative verb: the person is the dative object, the thing that fits is the subject (das passt mir).
- du passt / er passt — the -ss- stem doesn't add a second s; the participle is gepasst.
- passen zu + Dativ = match / go with; passen alone (+ dative person) = suit / be convenient.
- Don't confuse it with gefallen (to like) or the separable false friend aufpassen (to watch out).
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