Question 1

Why is it se pasan here instead of just pasan?

Accepted Answer

While you can use pasar to mean "to spend time", adding the pronoun to make it pasarse adds emphasis. It implies spending the entire time doing something, often highlighting that it feels like a long time or is a bit excessive. Here, se pasan la tarde emphasizes that the whole afternoon was consumed by this single activity.

Question 2

How does the pasarse + time + gerund structure work in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

This sentence uses the exact formula to express time-spending: the verb pasarse (conjugated as se pasan), followed by a time expression (la tarde), and directly followed by a gerund (viendo). Unlike English, which sometimes inserts prepositions like "by" or "in", Spanish strictly connects the time period directly to the gerund to show what action is consuming the time.

Question 3

Why does tumbadas have a feminine plural ending, but viendo doesn't change?

Accepted Answer

Viendo is a gerund (a verb form ending in -ando or -iendo), and gerunds never change their endings to match gender or number. However, tumbadas is a past participle being used here as an adjective to describe the subjects (Ellas). Because Ellas is feminine plural, the adjective must agree with it.

Question 4

Could I use acostadas instead of tumbadas in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Yes, absolutely! Acostadas and tumbadas are generally interchangeable when talking about lying down. Acostar(se) is extremely common in Latin America for "to lie down" or "to go to bed", while tumbar(se) is also widely used to mean "to lie flat" or "to stretch out".

Ellas se pasan la tarde viendo una película, tumbadas en la cama.

Breakdown of Ellas se pasan la tarde viendo una película, tumbadas en la cama.

Questions & Answers about Ellas se pasan la tarde viendo una película, tumbadas en la cama.

Learn Ellas se pasan la tarde viendo una película, tumbadas en la cama and more in Spanish