Breakdown of Pasa un trapo por la mesa, por favor.
Questions & Answers about Pasa un trapo por la mesa, por favor.
In Pasa un trapo por la mesa, por favor, pasa is the informal imperative (command) of tú for the verb pasar.
- Present tense of pasar (he/she/it passes): él/ella pasa
- Informal command (tú): ¡pasa! = wipe / pass / run (it) over…
You can tell it’s a command because:
- There’s no subject (no tú in front).
- The context is clearly telling someone to do something, not describing what someone is doing.
The subject tú is understood and normally omitted in Spanish. The verb ending -as in pasa already tells you the subject is tú.
- Correct and normal: Pasa un trapo por la mesa, por favor.
- Also grammatically correct but more emphatic: Tú pasa un trapo por la mesa, por favor.
Using Tú pasa… adds emphasis, a bit like saying “You, wipe the table”, which can sound bossy or contrastive. In everyday speech, people just say Pasa un trapo….
Literally, pasar un trapo is “to pass a cloth (over something)”. Idiomatically, it means “to wipe (a surface) with a cloth”.
So Pasa un trapo por la mesa = “Wipe the table with a cloth”.
Other common ways to say this in Spain:
- Limpia la mesa. – Clean the table.
- Pasa un paño por la mesa. – Wipe the table with a cloth.
- Pasa la bayeta por la mesa. – Run the (cleaning) cloth over the table.
Pasar + objeto is a very common pattern:
- Pasa la escoba. – Sweep (run the broom over the floor).
- Pasa el aspirador. – Hoover / vacuum.
Un trapo uses the indefinite article (a cloth / some cloth), which implies any cloth suitable for the task. The exact one doesn’t matter.
- Un trapo – a cloth (any cloth)
- El trapo – the cloth (a specific one you both know about)
So:
Pasa un trapo por la mesa.
= Grab some cloth (any one) and wipe the table.Pasa el trapo por la mesa.
= Use the cloth we already have in mind (maybe the one we always use in the kitchen).
Both are correct; you choose depending on whether the cloth is specific or not.
Here por expresses movement across/over a surface.
- Pasa un trapo por la mesa.
= Move the cloth over / across the surface of the table.
Compare:
- en la mesa – on the table (location, not movement)
- sobre la mesa – on / on top of the table (also location; sometimes emphasis on on top of)
So:
- El vaso está en/sobre la mesa. – The glass is on the table (static).
- Pasa un trapo por la mesa. – Run a cloth over the table (movement).
In this sentence it mainly means “over the surface of the table”.
The idea is: the cloth travels along/across the tabletop. Context makes it clear it’s about wiping the surface, not walking around the table.
In other contexts por la mesa could mean “around/by the table”, but with pasar un trapo, native speakers automatically understand “run the cloth over the surface.”
In Spain, trapo is understood, but other words are often more natural in a household cleaning context:
- bayeta – the typical yellow cleaning cloth/sponge-cloth.
- paño – cloth, often sounds a bit more “neutral” or “proper” than trapo.
Very natural alternatives in Spain:
- Pasa la bayeta por la mesa.
- Pasa un paño por la mesa.
Trapo can sometimes sound like an old rag, depending on context, but people will still understand Pasa un trapo por la mesa perfectly.
For usted (formal you) in Spain, you change the imperative form:
- Tú: Pasa un trapo por la mesa, por favor.
- Usted: Pase un trapo por la mesa, por favor.
The verb pasar in the usted command is pase (present subjunctive form used as imperative). Tone of voice and por favor also strongly affect how polite it sounds.
All of these are correct:
- Pasa un trapo por la mesa, por favor.
- Por favor, pasa un trapo por la mesa.
- Pasa, por favor, un trapo por la mesa. (less common, but possible)
The most usual are:
- At the end: Pasa un trapo por la mesa, por favor.
- At the beginning: Por favor, pasa un trapo por la mesa.
Putting por favor at the beginning often sounds a bit softer / more courteous, but the difference is small; your tone of voice matters more.
For negative commands with tú, Spanish uses the present subjunctive:
- Verb: pasar → (tú) no pases
So:
- No pases un trapo por la mesa.
= Don’t wipe the table with a cloth.
For usted:
- No pase un trapo por la mesa.
Notice the contrast:
- (tú) Pasa un trapo… (affirmative)
- (tú) No pases un trapo… (negative)
They mean different things:
Pasar por la mesa – to go past / over / by the table.
- With a cloth: Pasa un trapo por la mesa. – Run a cloth over the table.
- Without context: Pasamos por la mesa. – We go by the table.
Pasar la mesa – to move the table or pass the table (as an object).
- Pasa la mesa al salón. – Move the table to the living room.
- No puedo pasar la mesa por la puerta. – I can’t get the table through the door.
So por la mesa is crucial to keep the meaning of wiping the surface.
Yes, you can, and many speakers do. Both are natural:
- Pasa un trapo por la mesa. – Run a cloth over the table.
- Pásale un trapo a la mesa. – (Literally) Pass a cloth to it / to the table.
In Pásale un trapo a la mesa:
- le is an indirect object pronoun referring to la mesa.
- The structure is pasar algo a algo/alguien (to pass something to something/someone).
Meaning-wise, in this context they’re essentially equivalent; it’s just a different grammatical structure expressing the same action.