Passar Conjugation in Portuguese
passar means “to pass” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Portuguese learners meet — it sits at number 192 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Portuguese verbs. 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. This page gives you the complete conjugation of passar — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Eu passo o sal à Maria todos os dias.” — “I pass the salt to Maria.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: passar
- English: to pass
- Verb type: Regular -ar verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: passando
- Present participle: passante
- Past participle: passado
- Auxiliary: ter (all perfect tenses are formed with ter + the past participle)
- Ending: -ar verbs; pattern ar in the verified tables
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. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read passar in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about passar
- It is regular: every form follows the ordinary -ar pattern, so once you know the stem you can build the whole table. The only work is learning the endings, not memorising exceptions.
- The perfect tenses use ter: the pretérito perfeito composto is formed with ter in the present plus the past participle passado. The tables on this page give the participle in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- The gerund is passando, the present participle is passante and the past participle is passado: keep all three in mind as you read the tables, because the gerund appears in progressive constructions, the present participle appears as an adjective, and the past participle appears in every perfect tense. If you know those three forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for passar. Learn the present tense first, then the pretérito perfeito and the pretérito imperfeito, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative (presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | passo |
| tu | passas |
| ele/ela | passa |
| nós | passamos |
| vós | passais |
| eles/elas | passam |
The present indicative (presente) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Eu passo o sal à Maria todos os dias.” — “I pass the salt to Maria”
Pretérito perfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | passei |
| tu | passaste |
| ele/ela | passou |
| nós | passámos |
| vós | passastes |
| eles/elas | passaram |
The pretérito perfeito is used for completed actions in the past, especially one finished event. For example: “Eu passei o sal à Maria ontem.” — “I passed the salt to Maria”
Pretérito imperfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | passava |
| tu | passavas |
| ele/ela | passava |
| nós | passávamos |
| vós | passáveis |
| eles/elas | passavam |
The pretérito imperfeito is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Eu passava o sal à Maria antigamente.” — “I used to pass the salt to Maria”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | passara |
| tu | passaras |
| ele/ela | passara |
| nós | passáramos |
| vós | passáreis |
| eles/elas | passaram |
The pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples is used for an action completed before another past action; in everyday speech the compound form with tinha is more common. For example: “Eu passara o sal à Maria antes do jantar.” — “I had passed the salt to Maria”
Futuro do presente
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | passarei |
| tu | passarás |
| ele/ela | passará |
| nós | passaremos |
| vós | passareis |
| eles/elas | passarão |
The futuro do presente is used for what will happen, for predictions and for promises. For example: “Eu passarei o sal à Maria amanhã.” — “I will pass the salt to Maria”
Futuro do pretérito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | passaria |
| tu | passarias |
| ele/ela | passaria |
| nós | passaríamos |
| vós | passaríeis |
| eles/elas | passariam |
The futuro do pretérito is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Eu passaria o sal à Maria um dia.” — “I would pass the salt to Maria”
Pretérito perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenho passado |
| tu | tens passado |
| ele/ela | tem passado |
| nós | temos passado |
| vós | tendes passado |
| eles/elas | têm passado |
The pretérito perfeito composto is used for actions that started in the past and continue, or have been repeated, up to the present. For example: “Ele tem passado o sal à Maria esta semana.” — “He has passed the salt to Maria”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tinha passado |
| tu | tinhas passado |
| ele/ela | tinha passado |
| nós | tínhamos passado |
| vós | tínheis passado |
| eles/elas | tinham passado |
The pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Eu tinha passado o sal à Maria antes do jantar.” — “I had passed the salt to Maria”
Futuro do presente composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | terei passado |
| tu | terás passado |
| ele/ela | terá passado |
| nós | teremos passado |
| vós | tereis passado |
| eles/elas | terão passado |
The futuro do presente composto is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Eu terei passado o sal à Maria até amanhã.” — “I will have passed the salt to Maria”
Futuro do pretérito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | teria passado |
| tu | terias passado |
| ele/ela | teria passado |
| nós | teríamos passado |
| vós | teríeis passado |
| eles/elas | teriam passado |
The futuro do pretérito composto is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Eu teria passado o sal à Maria ontem.” — “I would have passed the salt to Maria”
Presente do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | passe |
| tu | passes |
| ele/ela | passe |
| nós | passemos |
| vós | passeis |
| eles/elas | passem |
The presente do subjuntivo is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “É importante que eu passe o sal à Maria.” — “It is important that I pass the salt to Maria”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | passasse |
| tu | passasses |
| ele/ela | passasse |
| nós | passássemos |
| vós | passásseis |
| eles/elas | passassem |
The pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after que, and in se-clauses. For example: “Era importante que eu passasse o sal à Maria.” — “It was important that I pass the salt to Maria”
Futuro do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | passar |
| tu | passares |
| ele/ela | passar |
| nós | passarmos |
| vós | passardes |
| eles/elas | passarem |
The futuro do subjuntivo is used after se and quando for a future possibility, where English would use the present. For example: “Se eu passar o sal à Maria, é bom.” — “If I pass the salt to Maria, that is good”
Imperativo (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | passa |
| ele/ela | passe |
| nós | passemos |
| vós | passai |
| eles/elas | passem |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Passa o sal à Maria!” — “Pass the salt to Maria!”
Imperativo (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | não passes |
| ele/ela | não passe |
| nós | não passemos |
| vós | não passeis |
| eles/elas | não passem |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Não passes o sal à Maria.” — “Do not pass the salt to Maria.”
Presente do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenha passado |
| tu | tenhas passado |
| ele/ela | tenha passado |
| nós | tenhamos passado |
| vós | tenhais passado |
| eles/elas | tenham passado |
The presente do subjuntivo composto is used for a completed action in a subordinate clause expressing doubt, wish or emotion. For example: “É importante que eu tenha passado o sal à Maria.” — “It is important that I have passed the salt to Maria”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tivesse passado |
| tu | tivesses passado |
| ele/ela | tivesse passado |
| nós | tivéssemos passado |
| vós | tivésseis passado |
| eles/elas | tivessem passado |
The pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto is used for a completed action in a past subordinate clause. For example: “Era importante que eu tivesse passado o sal à Maria.” — “It was important that I had passed the salt to Maria”
Futuro do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tiver passado |
| tu | tiveres passado |
| ele/ela | tiver passado |
| nós | tivermos passado |
| vós | tiverdes passado |
| eles/elas | tiverem passado |
The futuro do subjuntivo composto is used after se for a completed future possibility. For example: “Se eu tiver passado o sal à Maria, é bom.” — “If I have passed the salt to Maria, that is good”
Gerund
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Gerund | passando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with estar for the progressive. For example: “Passando o sal à Maria, aprendo muito.” — “While passing the salt to Maria, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Present participle | passante |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle passante is used to describe something that is happening at the same time as the main action, much like an English -ing adjective. You will meet passante more often as an adjective or a noun than as a verb form, so learn it as a word in its own right.
Past participle
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Past participle | passado |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Eu tenho passado o sal à Maria esta semana.” — “I have passed the salt to Maria.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with passar, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Portuguese and try to produce it from the English.
- “Eu passo o sal à Maria todos os dias.” — “I pass the salt to Maria”
- “Tu passaste o sal à Maria ontem.” — “You passed the salt to Maria”
- “Ele passava o sal à Maria antigamente.” — “He used to pass the salt to Maria”
- “Eu passarei o sal à Maria amanhã.” — “I will pass the salt to Maria”
- “Tu passarias o sal à Maria um dia.” — “You would pass the salt to Maria”
- “Ele tem passado o sal à Maria esta semana.” — “He has passed the salt to Maria”
- “Eu tinha passado o sal à Maria antes do jantar.” — “I had passed the salt to Maria”
- “Tu terás passado o sal à Maria até amanhã.” — “You will have passed the salt to Maria”
- “É importante que eu passe o sal à Maria.” — “It is important that I pass the salt to Maria”
- “Passa o sal à Maria!” — “Pass the salt to Maria!”
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’s form
✗ 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. Match the verb to the subject every time: eu goes with passo.
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 the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito passei for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the pretérito perfeito composto
✗ Wrong: “Eu sou passado o sal à Maria.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho passado o sal à Maria esta semana.”
The pretérito perfeito composto of passar is formed with ter plus the past participle passado: the eu form is tenho passado. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
5. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “É importante que eu passo o sal à Maria.”
✓ Right: “É importante que eu passe o sal à Maria.”
After é importante que Portuguese needs the subjunctive, so use passe here, not the indicative passo.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Eu tenho passando o sal à Maria.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho passado o sal à Maria esta semana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle passado, not the gerund passando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on passar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the eu form of passar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) passas
- B) passo
- C) passa
- D) passamos
What is the ele/ela form of passar in the Pretérito perfeito?
- A) passei
- B) passaste
- C) passou
- D) passámos
What is the nós form of passar in the Pretérito imperfeito?
- A) passava
- B) passavas
- C) passáveis
- D) passávamos
What is the tu form of passar in the Futuro do presente?
- A) passarás
- B) passarei
- C) passará
- D) passaremos
What is the eu form of passar in the Futuro do pretérito?
- A) passarias
- B) passaria
- C) passaríamos
- D) passaríeis
What is the ele/ela form of passar in the Pretérito perfeito composto?
- A) tenho passado
- B) tens passado
- C) tem passado
- D) temos passado
What is the ele/ela form of passar in the Presente do subjuntivo?
- A) passes
- B) passemos
- C) passeis
- D) passe
What is the eu form of passar in the Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo?
- A) passasse
- B) passasses
- C) passássemos
- D) passásseis
What is the gerund of passar?
- A) passado
- B) passando
- C) passar
- D) passo
What does passar mean in English?
- A) to be
- B) to have
- C) to pass
- D) —
Answer key
- B) passo — the correct form is passo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) passou — the correct form is passou. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) passávamos — the correct form is passávamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) passarás — the correct form is passarás. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) passaria — the correct form is passaria. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) tem passado — the correct form is tem passado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) passe — the correct form is passe. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) passasse — the correct form is passasse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) passando — the correct form is passando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- 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”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is passar regular or irregular?
passar is regular: it follows the ordinary -ar pattern in every tense. The gerund is passando and the past participle is passado.
What are the gerund and past participle of passar?
The gerund is passando — use it with estar for the progressive. The past participle is passado — use it with ter for the perfect tenses, as in tenho passado.
Which auxiliary does passar take in the pretérito perfeito composto?
passar takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto: the eu form is tenho passado. All seven compound tenses on this page are built with ter plus the past participle passado.
How do I say “I pass” in Portuguese?
Say “Eu passo o sal à Maria todos os dias.” — “I pass the salt to Maria” The eu form of the present is passo, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of passar — every tense of passar in one place.
- Passar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Passar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Portuguese present tense guide — the full guide to the present tense in Portuguese.
- Estar conjugation — another everyday Portuguese verb.
- Dar conjugation — another everyday Portuguese verb.
- Portuguese verbs — the full hub of Portuguese conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Verb Conjugator — practise passar with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise passar with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise passar with the interactive tool.