Pasarse in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of pasarse — «to go over, to spend (time)» — is the form you will reach for most often. It talks about habits, facts and what is happening right now, and it is the first tense to master for this verb. pasarse is a regular -ar verb, reflexive verb, so the present follows the -ar endings. On this page you will find the full present-tense table, how the forms are built, five usage rules with examples, a comparison with the preterite, more example sentences, the mistakes learners make in this tense, an eight-question quiz and answers to common questions. A good first sentence is «Me paso todos los días» — I go over every day.

Pasarse in the Present Tense — full table

Person Pronoun Form
yo me paso
tú te pasas
él/ella/Ud. se pasa
nosotros/as nos pasamos
vosotros/as os pasáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se pasan

Gerund: pasando · Past participle: pasado

How the present tense of pasarse is formed

Take the stem pas — the infinitive pasarse without its -ar ending and without -se — and add the present endings. The table below shows the build for every person, using the actual stem of each form:

Person Stem Ending Form
yo pas -o paso
tú pas -as pasas
él/ella/Ud. pas -a pasa
nosotros/as pas -amos pasamos
vosotros/as pas -áis pasáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. pas -an pasan

Because pasarse is reflexive, put the pronoun before the form: me paso, te pasas, se pasa, nos pasamos, os pasáis, se pasan. The pronoun changes with the person, never with the tense.

The present is the only tense where the yo form ends in -o for all three verb classes, which makes it a useful anchor: if you know paso, you can build the rest of the table from the stem and the endings above.

When to use the present tense of pasarse

1. Daily routines and habits

The most common use: things you do regularly. Time words like todos los días, siempre and a veces are the giveaway.

Me paso todos los días. — I go over every day.

2. General truths and facts

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. No time expression is needed — the statement stands on its own.

Se pasa con mi familia. — He goes over with my family.

3. What is happening right now

For an action in progress, the present works on its own in Spanish, and you can also use estar + the gerund pasando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nos pasamos por la mañana. — We go over in the morning.

4. Scheduled near-future plans

Spanish often uses the present for a fixed plan in the near future, where English would say «going to». A time expression such as mañana or la semana que viene makes the future meaning clear.

Te pasas en el trabajo. — You go over at work.

5. Narrating and commenting

The present is the tense of live commentary and of stories told as if they were happening now. It keeps the listener in the moment, and it is the tense of instructions and explanations.

Se pasan a veces. — They go over sometimes.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The present and the preterite answer different questions. The present says what happens in general or what is happening now; the preterite says what happened once and is over. Compare the pairs below — same verb, different time frame:

  • Present: Me paso todos los días. — I go over every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer me pasé por la tarde. — Yesterday I went over in the afternoon.

  • A routine against a single finished event. The present describes the habit; the preterite reports the one time it happened.

  • Present: Se pasa por la mañana. — He goes over in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer se pasó por la tarde. — Yesterday He went over in the afternoon.

  • What happens in the morning in general, against what happened yesterday afternoon. The time expression decides the tense.

  • Present: Nos pasamos con mi familia. — We go over with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nos pasamos dos veces. — Last week We went over twice.

  • A shared habit against a shared finished event. If the action repeats, use the present; if it happened once and ended, use the preterite.

Example sentences: pasarse in the present

  1. Me paso todos los días. — I go over every day.
  2. Te pasas en el trabajo. — You go over at work.
  3. Se pasa con mi familia. — He goes over with my family.
  4. Nos pasamos por la mañana. — We go over in the morning.
  5. Os pasáis cuando hay tiempo. — You go over when there is time.
  6. Se pasan a veces. — They go over sometimes.
  7. Me paso en el trabajo. — I go over at work.
  8. Se pasa todos los días. — He goes over every day.

Common mistakes with pasarse in the present

1. Dropping the reflexive pronoun

Wrong: Yo paso todos los días.

Right: Me paso todos los días.

Reflexive pasarse needs its pronoun in the present as in every tense: me paso. Without it the sentence uses the non-reflexive verb and means something else.

2. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros pasais.

Right: Vosotros pasáis.

The vosotros form pasáis carries a written accent on the ending. Without it the word is misspelled, and in speech the stress falls in the wrong place.

3. Using the present for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo paso.

Right: Ayer yo pasé.

Ayer belongs with the preterite. The present paso talks about now or about a habit; a finished yesterday needs pasé.

4. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos paso.

Right: Ellos pasan.

Each person has its own form: ellos take pasan, not the yo form paso. The -n ending on pasan is what marks the third-person plural.

5. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy paso.

Right: Estoy pasando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy pasando. The conjugated present paso never follows estar.

Quiz: pasarse in the present

Test yourself on the present tense of pasarse. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the nosotros/as form of pasarse in the present indicative?

- (a) pasa
- (b) paso
- (c) pasamos
- (d) pasas

2. What is the vosotros/as form of pasarse in the present indicative?

- (a) pasas
- (b) paso
- (c) pasa
- (d) pasáis

3. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of pasarse in the present indicative?

- (a) paso
- (b) pasan
- (c) pasas
- (d) pasa

4. What is the yo form of pasarse in the present indicative?

- (a) paso
- (b) pasas
- (c) pasa
- (d) pasamos

5. What is the tú form of pasarse in the present indicative?

- (a) pasas
- (b) pasa
- (c) pasamos
- (d) paso

6. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of pasarse in the present indicative?

- (a) pasamos
- (b) pasas
- (c) paso
- (d) pasa

7. What is the gerund of pasarse?

- (a) paso
- (b) pasando
- (c) pasarse
- (d) pasado

8. What is the past participle of pasarse?

- (a) pasado
- (b) pasando
- (c) pasé
- (d) pasarse

Answer key

1. (c) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of pasarse is pasamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (d) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of pasarse is pasáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (b) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of pasarse is pasan. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the present indicative, the yo form of pasarse is paso. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the present indicative, the tú form of pasarse is pasas. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of pasarse is pasa. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (b) — The gerund of pasarse is pasando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy pasando». 8. (a) — The past participle of pasarse is pasado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he pasado».

Frequently asked questions

Is pasarse regular in the present?

Yes — pasarse is regular in the present. The stem pas never changes and the endings are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an for -ar verbs (with the matching sets for -er and -ir verbs).

What is the yo form of pasarse in the present?

It is paso. With the reflexive pronoun: «Me paso».

How is the present different from the preterite for pasarse?

The present (paso) describes habits and what is happening now; the preterite (pasé) reports a single finished event. «Yo paso todos los días» is a habit, while «Ayer yo pasé» is one event that ended yesterday.

Can I use the present of pasarse with estar and the gerund?

Yes — «Estoy pasando» means «I am going over right now», with the emphasis on the action in progress. The plain present «Yo paso» is also correct for what is happening now; the gerund version simply stresses the moment.

Related pages