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Nós passamos por ali.

Nós passamos por ali.
We pass through there.
From Lesson 59:The preposition por (pelo, pela)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about Nós passamos por ali.

Why is it just por and not contracted to pelo or pela?
The contractions pelo and pela are made by combining por with the words for 'the' (o, a). Because ali is simply a word meaning 'there', it doesn't take an article. So, por stays in its base form.
How does por work with the verb passar?
Por has many English translations, including 'for' and 'by'. When used with verbs of movement like passar (to pass), por indicates the route taken, meaning 'through' or 'by' a place. So passar por ali means 'to pass through there' or 'to go by there'.
I've learned lá for 'there'. Why use ali here?
Both mean 'there', but they have a slight difference. Ali is used for a specific place that is usually in sight (like pointing and saying 'right over there'). Lá is used for places further away or out of sight.
Could passamos also mean 'we passed' in the past tense?
Yes, it can! For verbs ending in -ar, the 'we' (nós) form is exactly the same in both the present tense and the simple past tense. You have to rely on the surrounding conversation to know if it is happening now or if it already happened.

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