Introduction

Passare means “to pass”, and this page covers exactly one thing: passare in the present tense. The present is the tense Italian speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for passare, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the passato prossimo, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about passare in the present. It means to pass something to someone, to spend time, and to pass by a place. The tables on this page use avere, the auxiliary for its transitive uses, as in passing the salt or spending an afternoon. When passare means to drop by or to go past without an object, Italian uses essere instead, so the meaning decides the auxiliary. For example: “Lui passa il sale a Maria ogni giorno.” — “He passes the salt to Maria.” Everything on this page uses the forms of passare exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Passare in the Present — full table

Person Form
io passo
tu passi
lui/lei passa
noi passiamo
voi passate
loro passano
Gerund: passando · Past participle: passato
The gerund is passando, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Passando il sale a Maria, imparo molto.” — “While passing the salt to Maria, I learn a lot.” The past participle is passato, which you use with avere in the perfect tenses: ho passato is the passato prossimo, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how passare is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for passare, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of passare is formed

The present tense of passare has six forms: io passo, tu passi, lui passa, noi passiamo, voi passate, loro passano. Say them in order — io, tu, lui, noi, voi, loro — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. passare is regular: every form follows the standard -are endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb.

Two things about the present of passare are worth noticing. First, the noi and voi forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the same stem, and the present subjunctive takes its noi and voi forms from the same stem, so learning passiamo and passate pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Italian uses where English would often use the continuous form, so passo can mean both “I pass” and “I am passing” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because passare is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -are endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -are verb, you know it for all of them — only the stem changes. That is why the present of a regular verb is the cheapest tense to learn in the whole language.

When to use the present of passare

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use passare in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and passare is no exception. Use time expressions such as ogni giorno, sempre or ogni settimana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Io passo il sale a Maria ogni giorno.” — “I pass the salt to Maria.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about passare does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Lui passa il sale a Maria ogni giorno.” — “He passes the salt to Maria.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Italian often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with passare in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Noi passiamo il sale a Maria ogni giorno.” — “We pass the salt to Maria.”

4. Scheduled future events

Italian uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu passi il sale a Maria ogni giorno.” — “You pass the salt to Maria.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and passare in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Loro passano il sale a Maria ogni giorno.” — “They pass the salt to Maria.”

Present Tense vs Passato Prossimo: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the passato prossimo, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the passato prossimo describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as ogni giorno or sempre, while the passato prossimo sentences use ieri or la settimana scorsa. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Lui passa il sale a Maria ogni giorno.” — “He passes the salt to Maria”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Lui ha passato il sale a Maria questa settimana.” — “He has passed the salt to Maria”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Io passo il sale a Maria ogni giorno.” — “I pass the salt to Maria”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Io ho passato il sale a Maria questa settimana.” — “I have passed the salt to Maria”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Tu passi il sale a Maria ogni giorno.” — “You pass the salt to Maria”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Tu hai passato il sale a Maria questa settimana.” — “You have passed the salt to Maria”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

Example sentences: passare in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Io passo il sale a Maria ogni giorno.” — “I pass the salt to Maria”
  2. “Tu passi il sale a Maria ogni giorno.” — “You pass the salt to Maria”
  3. “Lui passa il sale a Maria ogni giorno.” — “He passes the salt to Maria”
  4. “Noi passiamo il sale a Maria ogni giorno.” — “We pass the salt to Maria”
  5. “Voi passate il sale a Maria ogni giorno.” — “You pass the salt to Maria”
  6. “Loro passano il sale a Maria ogni giorno.” — “They pass the salt to Maria”
  7. “Io passo il sale a Maria ogni giorno.” — “I pass the salt to Maria”
  8. “Lui passa il sale a Maria ogni giorno.” — “He passes the salt to Maria”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Io passi il sale a Maria.” Right: “Io passo il sale a Maria ogni giorno.” Why: The io form is passo, not passi. passi is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Noi passo il sale a Maria.” Right: “Noi passiamo il sale a Maria ogni giorno.” Why: Noi needs the noi form passiamo. passo belongs with io only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Io passo il sale a Maria ogni giorno ieri.” Right: “Io ho passato il sale a Maria questa settimana.” Why: Ieri points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho passato for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Io passare il sale a Maria.” Right: “Io passo il sale a Maria ogni giorno.” Why: The infinitive passare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated form passo.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the io form of passare in the Present indicative?

    • A) passi
    • B) passo
    • C) passa
    • D) passiamo

  2. What is the tu form of passare in the Present indicative?

    • A) passo
    • B) passa
    • C) passi
    • D) passiamo

  3. What is the lui/lei form of passare in the Present indicative?

    • A) passo
    • B) passi
    • C) passiamo
    • D) passa

  4. What is the noi form of passare in the Present indicative?

    • A) passiamo
    • B) passo
    • C) passi
    • D) passa

  5. What is the voi form of passare in the Present indicative?

    • A) passo
    • B) passate
    • C) passi
    • D) passa

  6. What is the loro form of passare in the Present indicative?

    • A) passo
    • B) passi
    • C) passano
    • D) passa

  7. What is the io form of passare in the Present indicative?

    • A) passi
    • B) passa
    • C) passiamo
    • D) passo

  8. What is the tu form of passare in the Present indicative?

    • A) passi
    • B) passo
    • C) passa
    • D) passiamo

Answer key

  1. B) passo — the correct form is passo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) passi — the correct form is passi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) passa — the correct form is passa. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) passiamo — the correct form is passiamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) passate — the correct form is passate. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) passano — the correct form is passano. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) passo — the correct form is passo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) passi — the correct form is passi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does passare mean in English?

passare means “to pass”. It is a non-reflexive, regular -are verb.

How is the present tense of passare formed?

The six present forms are: io passo, tu passi, lui passa, noi passiamo, voi passate, loro passano. passare is regular: every form follows the standard -are endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

When do I use the present instead of the passato prossimo?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the passato prossimo for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

What are the gerund and past participle of passare?

The gerund is passando and the past participle is passato.

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