Passar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

passar — to pass — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Portuguese. It is a regular -ar verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It means to pass something to someone, to spend time, and to pass by a place. It is completely regular: passo, passas, passa, passamos, passais, passam. When it takes an object it means to pass or to spend; without one it means to go past. On this page you will find passar 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. The full conjugation tables are on the passar conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the passar present tense page.

Example sentences with passar

In the present tense

  • “Eu passo o sal à Maria todos os dias.” — “I pass the salt to Maria”
  • “Tu passas o sal à Maria todos os dias.” — “You pass the salt to Maria”
  • “Ele passa o sal à Maria todos os dias.” — “He passes the salt to Maria”
  • “Nós passamos o sal à Maria todos os dias.” — “We pass the salt to Maria”
  • “Vós passais o sal à Maria todos os dias.” — “You pass the salt to Maria”
  • “Eles passam o sal à Maria todos os dias.” — “They pass the salt to Maria”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu passei o sal à Maria ontem.” — “I passed the salt to Maria”
  • “Tu passaste o sal à Maria ontem.” — “You passed the salt to Maria”
  • “Ele passou o sal à Maria ontem.” — “He passed the salt to Maria”
  • “Nós passámos o sal à Maria ontem.” — “We passed the salt to Maria”
  • “Vós passastes o sal à Maria ontem.” — “You passed the salt to Maria”
  • “Eles passaram o sal à Maria ontem.” — “They passed the salt to Maria”

In other tenses

The same verb in the pretérito imperfeito, the futuro do presente, the futuro do pretérito, the presente do subjuntivo and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Eu passava o sal à Maria antigamente.” — “I used to pass the salt to Maria”
  • “Tu passarás o sal à Maria amanhã.” — “You will pass the salt to Maria”
  • “Ele passaria o sal à Maria um dia.” — “He would pass the salt to Maria”
  • “É importante que nós passemos o sal à Maria.” — “It is important that we pass the salt to Maria”
  • “Passa o sal à Maria!” — “Pass the salt to Maria!”

How passar is used

The first thing to know about passar is its core meaning: to pass. It means to pass something to someone, to spend time, and to pass by a place. It is completely regular: passo, passas, passa, passamos, passais, passam. When it takes an object it means to pass or to spend; without one it means to go past. In everyday speech it appears most often in the present and the pretérito perfeito, the two tenses on this page, because most of what we say is either what we do every day or what we have just done. Learn those two tenses first and the rest of the conjugation becomes a matter of adding forms one at a time. The second thing to know is the company passar keeps. The present eu form is passo, and it pairs naturally with the time words todos os dias and sempre for habits, and with agora for what is happening right now. The pretérito perfeito composto eu form is tenho passado, and it pairs with ontem and esta semana for finished actions. When you learn a verb form, learn its time words with it, and choosing the tense becomes automatic. The third thing to know is what passar does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need passo, never passar. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho passado, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle passado is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Passar in context

Eu passo o sal à Maria todos os dias. Tu passas o sal à Maria todos os dias. Ele passa o sal à Maria todos os dias. Nós passamos o sal à Maria todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of passar is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — passo, passas, passa, passamos — while the meaning stays the same: to pass. Eu passei o sal à Maria ontem. Tu passaste o sal à Maria ontem. Ele passou o sal à Maria ontem. Nós passámos o sal à Maria ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of passar appears constantly: a finished action, a precise moment, and the story goes on. Compare these sentences with the present ones above: the verb changes tense, but the basic meaning — to pass — does not change. That is the difference between a habit and a finished event.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Eu passar o sal à Maria.”

✓ Right: “Eu passo o sal à Maria todos os dias.”

The infinitive passar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form passo.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu passas o sal à Maria.”

✓ Right: “Eu passo o sal à Maria todos os dias.”

passas is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is passo — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu passo o sal à Maria ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu passei o sal à Maria ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito passei here, not the present passo.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou passado o sal à Maria.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho passado o sal à Maria esta semana.”

passar takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto. The eu form is tenho passado — the other auxiliary never belongs with this verb.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. What is the tu form of passar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) passo
    • B) passas
    • C) passa
    • D) passamos

  2. What is the eu form of passar in the Pretérito perfeito composto?

    • A) tens passado
    • B) tem passado
    • C) tenho passado
    • D) temos passado

  3. What is the ele/ela form of passar in the Pretérito imperfeito?

    • A) passavas
    • B) passávamos
    • C) passáveis
    • D) passava

  4. What is the nós form of passar in the Futuro do presente?

    • A) passaremos
    • B) passarei
    • C) passarás
    • D) passará

  5. What is the tu form of passar in the Futuro do pretérito?

    • A) passaria
    • B) passarias
    • C) passaríamos
    • D) passaríeis

  6. What is the eu form of passar in the Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples?

    • A) passaras
    • B) passáramos
    • C) passara
    • D) passáreis

  7. What is the nós form of passar in the Presente do subjuntivo?

    • A) passe
    • B) passes
    • C) passeis
    • D) passemos

  8. What is the gerund of passar?

    • A) passando
    • B) passado
    • C) passar
    • D) passo

  9. What is the past participle of passar?

    • A) passando
    • B) passado
    • C) passar
    • D) passo

  10. What does passar mean in English?

  • A) to be
  • B) to have
  • C) to pass
  • D) —

Answer key

  1. B) passas — the correct form is passas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho passado — the correct form is tenho passado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) passava — the correct form is passava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) passaremos — the correct form is passaremos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) passarias — the correct form is passarias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) passara — the correct form is passara. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) passemos — the correct form is passemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) passando — the correct form is passando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) passado — the correct form is passado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to pass — the correct form is to pass. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does passar mean in English?

passar means “to pass”. You use it whenever you talk about to pass in Portuguese, in the present, the past and the future.

Is passar regular or irregular?

passar is regular. passar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

What are the gerund and past participle of passar?

The gerund is passando and the past participle is passado. The perfect tenses use ter + passado.

Where can I see the full conjugation of passar?

On the passar conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The passar present tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for passar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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