Breakdown of Pase lo que pase, quiero que nuestra amistad siga siendo sincera.
yo
I
querer
to want
ser
to be
que
that
Questions & Answers about Pase lo que pase, quiero que nuestra amistad siga siendo sincera.
Why does the sentence start with Pase lo que pase?
Pase lo que pase is a very common Spanish expression meaning no matter what happens or whatever happens.
It is built from:
- pase = subjunctive form of pasar
- lo que = what / whatever
- pase again = repeated for emphasis and structure
Literally, it is something like:
- May happen what may happen
That sounds unnatural in English, but in Spanish it is a normal set phrase.
Why is it pase and not pasa?
Because Spanish uses the subjunctive here.
In expressions like Pase lo que pase, the speaker is talking about:
- something unknown
- something indefinite
- something that could happen in the future
That is why Spanish uses pase rather than the indicative pasa.
Compare:
- Lo que pasa = what is happening / what happens
- Pase lo que pase = whatever happens
So pase helps create the idea of uncertainty or openness.
What is lo que doing in Pase lo que pase?