Passar is a fully regular -ar verb, so its conjugation holds no surprises — which is convenient, because its meanings are where the real learning happens. It is one of the most polysemous verbs in Brazilian Portuguese: to pass, to spend (time), to happen, to go by, to iron clothes, and more. The grammar is easy; mastering passar means mastering which sense fits which situation, and the prepositions and particles that steer it.
Conjugation tables
Passar follows the standard -ar pattern on the -ar verbs page exactly. The double ss is part of the stem and never changes.
Indicative
| Pronoun | Presente | Pretérito perfeito | Pretérito imperfeito | Futuro do presente | Futuro do pretérito |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| eu | passo | passei | passava | passarei | passaria |
| tu/você | passa | passou | passava | passará | passaria |
| ele/ela | passa | passou | passava | passará | passaria |
| nós | passamos | passamos | passávamos | passaremos | passaríamos |
| vocês | passam | passaram | passavam | passarão | passariam |
| eles/elas | passam | passaram | passavam | passarão | passariam |
Subjunctive
| Pronoun | Presente do subjuntivo | Imperfeito do subjuntivo | Futuro do subjuntivo |
|---|---|---|---|
| eu | passe | passasse | passar |
| tu/você | passe | passasses / passasse | passares / passar |
| ele/ela | passe | passasse | passar |
| nós | passemos | passássemos | passarmos |
| vocês | passem | passassem | passarem |
| eles/elas | passem | passassem | passarem |
Imperative, non-finite
| Pronoun | Imperativo afirmativo | Imperativo negativo |
|---|---|---|
| você | passe | não passe |
| nós | passemos | não passemos |
| vocês | passem | não passem |
| Form | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Infinitivo impessoal | passar |
| Infinitivo pessoal | passar / passar / passar / passarmos / passarem / passarem |
| Gerúndio | passando |
| Particípio | passado |
The many meanings
to pass / to hand over
The basic sense: to pass something to someone, or for something to pass/move.
Me passa o sal, por favor?
Can you pass me the salt, please?
O ônibus já passou, vamos ter que esperar o próximo.
The bus already went by, we'll have to wait for the next one.
to spend (time)
This is huge in BR and a frequent trap for English speakers. passar means to spend time; gastar means to spend money. Never mix them.
Passei o fim de semana inteiro na praia com a família.
I spent the whole weekend at the beach with the family.
A gente passou horas presos no trânsito.
We spent hours stuck in traffic.
to happen
The pronominal passar-se (often just se passar) means to happen / go on, especially in the iconic question:
O que se passa aqui? Por que tanta gritaria?
What's going on here? Why all the shouting?
A história se passa no Rio dos anos 1950.
The story takes place in 1950s Rio.
For "what's wrong/happening" in casual speech, Brazilians equally say "O que houve?" or "O que aconteceu?", but "O que (que) se passa?" is fully natural.
to iron clothes
A meaning English speakers never expect: passar roupa = to iron clothes. (The full form is passar a ferro, "to pass with iron".)
Odeio passar roupa, é a tarefa que mais detesto em casa.
I hate ironing clothes, it's the chore I detest most at home.
to feel sick: passar mal
The set phrase passar mal means to feel sick / unwell (nausea, faintness). Its opposite, passar bem, means to be doing well and is also a polite farewell (Passe bem! — Take care).
Ela passou mal no ônibus e teve que descer.
She felt sick on the bus and had to get off.
The constructions
passar por = to go through / to pass by
With por, passar means to pass through a place, or figuratively to go through an experience. See the preposition por.
Todo dia eu passo pela padaria a caminho do trabalho.
Every day I pass by the bakery on the way to work.
Ele passou por momentos muito difíceis depois do acidente.
He went through very hard times after the accident.
Passar por can also mean to pass as / be taken for: "Ele passa por italiano" (He could pass for Italian).
passar a + infinitive = to start / take to doing
The periphrasis passar a + infinitive marks the beginning of a new, ongoing state or habit — to start doing / come to do. This is covered in depth on the passar a page.
Depois que teve filho, ele passou a acordar às seis da manhã.
After he had a kid, he started waking up at six a.m.
A partir daí, ela passou a ser tratada como gerente.
From then on, she came to be treated as a manager.
Common Mistakes
❌ Gastei três dias em São Paulo.
Incorrect — for spending time use 'passar', not 'gastar'.
✅ Passei três dias em São Paulo.
I spent three days in São Paulo.
❌ O que está passando aqui?
Unnatural for 'what's going on' — you need the pronominal 'se passa' (or 'O que houve?').
✅ O que está se passando aqui?
What's going on here?
❌ Eu passo ferro na minha camisa.
Wrong register/structure — the everyday phrase is 'passar roupa'.
✅ Preciso passar essa camisa antes da reunião.
I need to iron this shirt before the meeting.
❌ Ela passou-se mal no ônibus.
Incorrect — 'passar mal' (feel sick) is not pronominal; only 'passar-se' (happen) is.
✅ Ela passou mal no ônibus.
She felt sick on the bus.
❌ Comecei a ser tratado como gerente a partir daí (meaning a lasting change).
Understates the shift — for a new ongoing status, 'passar a' is more idiomatic.
✅ Passei a ser tratado como gerente a partir daí.
From then on I came to be treated as a manager.
Key Takeaways
- passar is a regular -ar verb; the challenge is its many meanings, not its forms.
- Time is passado, money is gasto — passar tempo vs gastar dinheiro.
- passar-se = to happen / take place (O que se passa?).
- passar roupa = to iron; passar mal = to feel sick (not pronominal).
- passar por = go through / pass by; passar a + infinitive = take to / come to do (a lasting change of state).
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Start learning Portuguese→Related Topics
- Passar a + Infinitivo: Start To (Permanent Change)B1 — How 'passar a' + infinitive marks a permanent shift into a new habit or state — and how it differs from the neutral 'começar a'.
- First Conjugation: -ar VerbsA1 — The largest and most regular Brazilian Portuguese verb class — endings across the main tenses, high-frequency verbs, and the gostar de trap.
- GastarA2 — Full conjugation and usage reference for 'gastar' (to spend / to use up / to wear out) — a regular -ar verb with a double past participle, gasto and gastado.
- Preposition 'Por': By, Through, For (cause)A2 — How 'por' marks cause, means, path, duration, exchange, and the passive agent — and why it always contracts with the article into pelo/pela.
- LevarA1 — Full conjugation and usage of levar (to take/carry away), the deictic opposite of trazer and a key verb for time expressions.