No te pases con el azúcar.

Don't overdo it with the sugar.

Breakdown of No te pases con el azúcar.

• con: with
• te: you
• no: not
• el azúcar: the sugar
• pasarse: to go over

Questions & Answers about No te pases con el azúcar.

What exactly does pasarse mean in this sentence?

Here pasarse means “to overdo it / to go too far / to go overboard”.

• No te pases con el azúcar ≈ “Don’t overdo it with the sugar / Don’t go overboard with the sugar.”
• It does not mean “to pass” (like passing an exam or passing something to someone). That would be pasar without the reflexive pronoun and with a different meaning.

What’s the difference between pasar and pasarse?

• pasar (non‑reflexive) has meanings like:

  • to pass (an object): Pásame el azúcar. – “Pass me the sugar.”
  • to happen: ¿Qué pasa? – “What’s happening?”
  • to pass (an exam): He pasado el examen. – “I’ve passed the exam.”

• pasarse (reflexive) often means:

  • to go too far / to overdo something / to be excessive:
    • Te has pasado con la sal. – “You overdid it with the salt.”
    • No te pases. – “Don’t go too far / Don’t be out of line.”

So in No te pases con el azúcar, the reflexive form pasarse is essential to get the “overdo it” meaning.

Why is it “pases” and not “pasas” – what tense is “No te pases”?

No te pases is a negative command (negative imperative) addressed to tú.

In Spanish:

• Affirmative tú commands use the present indicative form:

  • Pásate. – “Go ahead / Help yourself / Overdo it (joking).”

• Negative tú commands use the present subjunctive:

  • No te pases. – “Don’t overdo it.”

So:

• Verb: pasarse
• Present subjunctive of pasar (tú): (que) tú pases
• Negative command: No te pases.

Why is the pronoun “te” before the verb here? I thought pronouns attach to commands.

It depends on whether the command is affirmative or negative:

• Affirmative commands: pronouns attach to the end of the verb.

  • Pásate con el azúcar. – “Go overboard with the sugar.” (Not typical, but grammatically fine.)
  • Dímelo. – “Tell it to me.”

• Negative commands: pronouns go before the verb.

  • No te pases con el azúcar.
  • No me lo digas. – “Don’t tell it to me.”

So No te pases follows the standard rule: no + pronoun + verb (subjunctive).

What does the “te” in “No te pases” refer to?

Te is the reflexive pronoun for tú (you, singular informal).

• It shows that the action of pasarse is being applied to you yourself.
• Literally it’s something like “Don’t overdo yourself,” which in natural English becomes “Don’t overdo it / Don’t overdo things.”

So No te pases is a direct, informal way to tell one person you (tú) not to go too far.

What does “con el azúcar” literally mean, and why use “con”?

Literally con el azúcar is “with the sugar.”

Here, con works like in English:

• No te pases con el azúcar.
  → “Don’t go overboard with the sugar.”

It’s the same pattern as:

• No te pases con la sal. – “Don’t overdo it with the salt.”
• No te pases con las bromas. – “Don’t go too far with the jokes.”

So con introduces the thing you might be overdoing or going too far with.

Why is it “el azúcar” and not just “azúcar”? Is the sugar specific?

Spanish often uses the definite article (el/la) more than English, even when English doesn’t say “the”.

• No te pases con el azúcar is the normal, generic way to say:
  • “Don’t overdo it with sugar.”

You can also sometimes hear:

• No te pases con el azúcar (most common)
• No te pases con el azúcar, que es malo. – “Don’t overdo the sugar, it’s bad for you.”

You could say No te pases con el azúcar or No abuses del azúcar; dropping the article (con azúcar) is less typical here and may sound incomplete or more like ingredient-list style. With this verb, con el azúcar is the natural collocation.

Is “azúcar” masculine or feminine?

Azúcar is a bit special:

• Traditionally it’s masculine: el azúcar.
• But you will also see it treated as feminine in some contexts: la azúcar, especially in some regions or older usage.

In modern standard usage, especially in Spain:

• You will most commonly hear el azúcar.
• Adjectives can reflect either gender sometimes:
  • el azúcar blanco (masc.)
  • el azúcar morena (fem. adjective with a feminine interpretation)

For your sentence, el azúcar is the normal, expected form.

How informal or colloquial is “No te pases con el azúcar”? Is it rude?

• Register: informal and colloquial, but not rude by itself.
• It sounds like something you’d say to:
  • a family member
  • a friend
  • a child

Tone can be:

• neutral: just a casual warning
• slightly scolding: depending on intonation

More neutral/softer alternatives:

• No pongas tanto azúcar. – “Don’t put so much sugar.”
• No tomes tanto azúcar. – “Don’t have so much sugar.”
• Intenta no pasarte con el azúcar. – “Try not to overdo it with the sugar.”

How would I say the same thing politely to a stranger or in a formal context?

Use usted or a more indirect phrasing:

• No se pase con el azúcar.
  (Formal singular: “Don’t overdo it with the sugar.”)

Even softer/politer:

• Procure no tomar demasiado azúcar. – “Try not to consume too much sugar.”
• Es mejor no pasarse con el azúcar. – “It’s better not to overdo it with sugar.”
• Conviene moderar el consumo de azúcar. – “It’s advisable to moderate sugar intake.”

The core idea is the same; the phrasing just becomes less direct and more formal.

What’s the difference between “No te pases con el azúcar” and “No pongas tanto azúcar”?

• No te pases con el azúcar:

  • Focuses on the idea of excess / going too far in general.
  • Slightly more idiomatic and “attitude-based.”
  • Could refer to adding sugar now, or to your general habit.

• No pongas tanto azúcar:

  • Very concrete: “Don’t put so much sugar (in this thing right now).”
  • More about the specific quantity being added.

In everyday use, they can overlap, but no te pases sounds more like:

• “Don’t overdo it / don’t exaggerate with sugar,” while no pongas tanto azúcar zooms in on how much you’re putting at this moment.

Does “No te pases” have other meanings outside of food/sugar?

Yes. No te pases is a very common expression in Spain (and understood elsewhere) meaning “Don’t go too far / Don’t overdo it / Don’t be out of line.”

Examples:

• Someone makes a harsh joke:
  • Eh, no te pases. – “Hey, don’t go too far / That’s too much.”
• Someone is being rude or unfair:
  • No te pases conmigo. – “Don’t go too far with me / Don’t be so hard on me.”

So:

• No te pases con el azúcar = “Don’t overdo it with the sugar.”
• No te pases alone often means “Don’t overdo it / Don’t be excessive (in behavior, words, etc.).”