Breakdown of Como te pases, vas a arruinar el operativo.
ir
to go
a
to
te
to you / you (direct object)
arruinar
to ruin
como
if (as a warning/threat)
pasarse
to go too far
el operativo
the operation (police or military)
Questions & Answers about Como te pases, vas a arruinar el operativo.
Why use the pronominal verb pasarse here instead of just pasar?
The non-pronominal verb pasar usually means "to pass" or "to happen." Adding the reflexive pronoun shifts the meaning entirely. Pasarse means "to go too far," "to cross the line," or "to overdo it." In this context, te pases means you are overstepping boundaries.
Why is te pases in the subjunctive mood instead of the indicative te pasas?
It is because of the word como. While como usually takes the indicative mood when it means "how," "like," or "since," it can also be used to mean "if" to give a warning or state a negative consequence. When used as a conditional warning like this, it always requires the subjunctive mood.
Could I just use si instead of como to say "if" in this sentence?
Yes, you could say Si te pasas, vas a arruinar el operativo. Notice that si takes the present indicative (pasas), not the subjunctive, for realistic conditions like this one. Using como with the subjunctive just makes the warning sound slightly more threatening or emphatic.
Learn Como te pases, vas a arruinar el operativo and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free