Leemos el pasaje.

Leemos is the first-person plural form of the verb leer (to read) in the present indicative.

So it means we read or we are reading, depending on context.

The full present tense of leer is:

• leo = I read
• lees = you read
• lee = he/she reads, you read
• leemos = we read
• leéis = you all read (Spain)
• leen = they read, you all read

Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is.

Here, -emos clearly shows that the subject is we, so nosotros is unnecessary.

• Leemos el pasaje. = We read the passage.
• Nosotros leemos el pasaje. = also correct, but more emphatic

You would include nosotros only if you want to stress we specifically, for example to contrast with someone else.

In normal use, leemos specifically means we read.

However, like the English present tense, it can cover more than one situation depending on context:

• habitual action: We read the passage every day
• what is happening now: We’re reading the passage
• scheduled/classroom instruction: We read the passage next

Spanish often uses the simple present where English might use either we read or we’re reading.

In Spanish, nouns often need an article more often than in English.

So el pasaje is natural when referring to the passage in a specific context, such as a text, book, or exercise.

• Leemos el pasaje. = We read the passage.
• Leemos un pasaje. = We read a passage.

If the passage is already known from the situation, el is the normal choice.

Here, pasaje means passage in the sense of a section of text.

That said, pasaje can have other meanings in Spanish depending on context, such as:

• a passage in a book or speech
• a corridor/passageway
• a ticket/fare in some contexts

In this sentence, because of leemos (we read), the meaning is clearly a passage of text.

In standard Spain Spanish:

• leemos ≈ leh-EH-mos
• pasaje ≈ pah-SAH-heh

A few useful pronunciation notes:

• In leemos, the two e vowels are both pronounced: le-e-mos
• The j in pasaje is a strong throaty sound, like the ch in Scottish loch
• The stress is:
  • le-EE-mos? No — actually le-E-mos /leˈemos/
  • pa-SA-je /paˈsaxe/

So the stress falls on the second syllable in both words.

Because it follows the normal Spanish stress rules.

Words ending in a vowel, n, or s are normally stressed on the second-to-last syllable.
So leemos is naturally stressed as le-EM-os, which is exactly where it should be, so no accent mark is needed.

This is useful to compare with leímos (we read in the preterite, in many contexts), which does have an accent mark:

• leemos = we read / we are reading
• leímos = we read (completed past action)

The accent helps show the different pronunciation and tense.

Because the sentence has an understood subject of we.

Spanish verb endings change depending on the subject:

• leo = I read
• lees = you read
• lee = he/she/you reads
• leemos = we read
• leéis = you all read (Spain)
• leen = they/you all read

So if the meaning is we read, leemos is the correct form.

Not usually. In most cases, Leemos el pasaje sounds more natural because Spanish normally omits the subject pronoun when it is obvious.

Nosotros leemos el pasaje is still correct, but it adds emphasis, something like:

• We are the ones reading the passage.
• We read the passage, not them.

So the version without nosotros is the neutral, everyday form.

Not normally.

Leemos el pasaje is a statement: We read / We are reading the passage.

If you want to say Let’s read the passage, Spanish would more naturally use:

• Leamos el pasaje.
• Vamos a leer el pasaje.

So leemos is indicative, not the usual way to make a suggestion.

It is mostly regular, but it does have a few spelling and pronunciation details to watch out for.

In the present tense, it is fairly straightforward:

• leo
• lees
• lee
• leemos
• leéis
• leen

The main thing learners notice is the sequence of vowels, especially in forms like leo, lees, leemos, and leen.

In other tenses, leer has some changes, for example:

• leyó
• leyeron

So it is not completely plain in every tense, but in Leemos el pasaje, nothing unusual is happening.