Pasar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

pasar — to spend — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Pasar is a multi-use verb: to pass, to spend time, to happen, to go by. ¿Qué pasa? means what is happening, pasar tiempo is to spend time, and me lo paso bien means I am having a good time. It is regular, which makes it a good model verb for -ar endings. On this page you will find pasar in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself.

Example sentences with pasar

In the present tense

  • “Yo paso mucho tiempo con mis amigos.” — “I spend a lot of time with my friends.”
  • “Ella pasa por la tienda cada día.” — “She passes by the shop every day.”
  • “Nosotros pasamos las vacaciones en la playa.” — “We spend the holidays at the beach.”
  • “Ellos pasan la pelota al delantero.” — “They pass the ball to the striker.”
  • “¿Qué pasa contigo?” — “What is happening with you?”
  • “Vosotros pasáis un buen rato aquí.” — “You have a good time here.”

In the preterite

  • “Ayer yo pasé la tarde en el parque.” — “Yesterday I spent the afternoon in the park.”
  • “Ella pasó el verano en casa de sus abuelos.” — “She spent the summer at her grandparents’ house.”
  • “Nosotros pasamos un fin de semana estupendo.” — “We had a wonderful weekend.”
  • “Ellos pasaron por mi casa anoche.” — “They came by my house last night.”
  • “¿Tú pasaste miedo durante la película?” — “Were you scared during the film?”
  • “El tren pasó a las ocho en punto.” — “The train went by at eight o’clock sharp.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect — the four tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “De niño, yo pasaba mucho tiempo con mis amigos en el parque.” — “As a child, I used to spend a lot of time with my friends in the park.”
  • “Mañana, yo pasaré mucho tiempo con mis amigos en el parque.” — “Tomorrow, I will spend a lot of time with my friends in the park.”
  • “Si pudiera, yo pasaría mucho tiempo con mis amigos en el parque.” — “If I could, I would spend a lot of time with my friends in the park.”
  • “Yo he pasado mucho tiempo con mis amigos en el parque.” — “I have spent a lot of time with my friends in the park.”

Pasar in context

Cada día, yo paso mucho tiempo con mis amigos en el parque. Mi amigo también pasa mucho tiempo con mis amigos en el parque cuando tiene tiempo. Después, yo paso mucho tiempo con mis amigos de nuevo por la tarde. Es una parte normal de mi rutina, y por eso el presente de pasar es la primera forma que conviene aprender.

Ayer, yo pasé mucho tiempo con mis amigos en el parque. Mi amigo pasó mucho tiempo con mis amigos en el parque también, y por la noche yo pasé mucho tiempo con mis amigos otra vez. Fue un día normal, pero es justo en días así cuando el pretérito de pasar aparece una y otra vez: una acción terminada, un momento concreto, y la historia sigue.

Common mistakes with pasar

Mistake 1

Wrong: ¿Qué pasa? — learners confuse pasar with ocurrir.

Right: ¿Qué pasas?

¿Qué pasa? is the everyday what is happening; ocurrir is more formal.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Me lo paso bien — learners say estoy bien for having fun.

Right: Me lo paso bien.

Having a good time is pasárselo bien, not estar bien.

Quiz: pasar in everyday use

Ten questions on pasar across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the yo form of pasar in the present tense?

  • A) paso
  • B) pasas
  • C) pasa
  • D) pasamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the present tense is paso.

2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of pasar in the present tense?

  • A) paso
  • B) pasas
  • C) pasamos
  • D) pasa

Answer: D — The él/ella/Ud. form in the present tense is pasa.

3. What is the yo form of pasar in the preterite?

  • A) pasó
  • B) pasamos
  • C) pasé
  • D) pasaste

Answer: C — The yo form in the preterite is pasé.

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of pasar in the preterite?

  • A) pasó
  • B) pasaron
  • C) pasé
  • D) pasaste

Answer: B — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the preterite is pasaron.

5. What is the yo form of pasar in the imperfect?

  • A) pasaba
  • B) pasabas
  • C) pasaba
  • D) pasábamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the imperfect is pasaba.

6. What is the tú form of pasar in the future?

  • A) pasaré
  • B) pasará
  • C) pasaremos
  • D) pasarás

Answer: D — The tú form in the future is pasarás.

7. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of pasar in the conditional?

  • A) pasarías
  • B) pasaríamos
  • C) pasaría
  • D) pasaría

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional is pasaría.

8. What is the nosotros/as form of pasar in the present perfect?

  • A) ha pasado
  • B) hemos pasado
  • C) he pasado
  • D) has pasado

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the present perfect is hemos pasado.

9. Fill in the blank: “Yo ___ mucho tiempo con mis amigos.” (I spend a lot of time with my friends.)

  • A) paso
  • B) pasas
  • C) pasa
  • D) pasamos

Answer: A — The sentence needs paso.

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) ¿Qué pasas?
  • B) ¿Qué pasa? — learners confuse pasar with ocurrir.

Answer: A — ¿Qué pasa? is the everyday what is happening; ocurrir is more formal.

Frequently asked questions

What does pasar mean?

pasar means “to spend” in English. Pasar is a multi-use verb: to pass, to spend time, to happen, to go by. ¿Qué pasa? means what is happening, pasar tiempo is to spend time, and me lo paso bien means I am having a good time. It is regular, which makes it a good model verb for -ar endings.

Is pasar regular?

Yes. pasar is a regular -ar verb, so its forms follow the standard endings in every tense. That makes it a good verb to learn early — once you know the endings, you know the verb.

When do I use pasar in the past — preterite or imperfect?

Use the preterite — pasé, pasaste, pasó — for a finished action at a specific moment, and the imperfect — pasaba, pasabas, pasaba — for what was happening, what used to happen, or the background. The same rule applies to pasar as to every Spanish verb; the tense changes the meaning, not the verb.

How can I practise pasar?

Start with the examples above, say them aloud, then take the quiz on this page. For more practice, use the Spanish Verb Quiz and the Pasar Conjugator, and read the full conjugation page for pasar to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo paso…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo pasé…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo pasaré…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

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