Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Passa-se alguma coisa com ela.

Passa-se alguma coisa com ela.

Something is up with her.

Breakdown of Passa-se alguma coisa com ela.

to happen, to be going on

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Questions & Answers about Passa-se alguma coisa com ela.

Why is there a -se attached to passa?

The verb passar usually means "to pass" or "to spend" (like time). However, when used as a reflexive verb (passar-se), it means "to happen" or "to go on." So, passa-se translates well to "is going on" or "is happening" in this context.

Why is the verb at the very beginning of the sentence? What is the subject?

The subject is actually alguma coisa (something). Literally, the sentence is "Happens something with her." In Portuguese, it is very common to put the verb first when introducing a new subject or talking about something happening or existing.

If I moved alguma coisa to the start, would it be Alguma coisa passa-se com ela?

No, it would be Alguma coisa se passa com ela. Words like alguma act as magnets in Portuguese—they pull the pronoun (se) to the front of the verb. Because the verb comes first in our example sentence, there are no magnet words before it, so the -se stays attached to the end.

Could I use algo instead of alguma coisa?

Yes, you could say Passa-se algo com ela. Both mean exactly the same thing. Alguma coisa is just used a bit more frequently in everyday spoken Portuguese.

I have heard passar-se used to mean someone is angry. Does it mean that here?