No pases el semáforo en rojo.

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Breakdown of No pases el semáforo en rojo.

• el semáforo: the traffic light
• no: not
• rojo: red

Questions & Answers about No pases el semáforo en rojo.

Why is it pases and not pasas?

Because this sentence is a negative command: Don’t go past / don’t run the red light.

In Spanish, negative tú commands use the present subjunctive, not the normal present tense.

• pasas = you go past / you pass (statement)
• no pases = don’t go past / don’t pass (negative command)

So:

• Pasas el semáforo = You go past the traffic light
• No pases el semáforo = Don’t go past the traffic light

Why does a command use the subjunctive here?

In Spanish, that is simply the normal rule for negative informal commands.

For tú:

• affirmative command: usually based on the imperative form
  
  • Pasa = Go past
• negative command: use no + present subjunctive
  
  • No pases = Don’t go past

This happens with many verbs:

• Habla / No hables
• Come / No comas
• Escribe / No escribas

So No pases follows a very common pattern.

How do you form pases from the verb pasar?