Passer in the Present Tense in French

Introduction

Passer means “to pass, to spend”, and this page covers exactly one thing: passer in the present tense. The present is the tense French 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 passer, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the imperfect, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about passer in the present. For example: “Je passe une semaine à Paris tous les jours.” — “I pass a week in Paris every day.” Everything on this page uses the forms of passer exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Passer in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
je passe
tu passes
il/elle passe
nous passons
vous passez
ils/elles passent

Gerund: passant · Past participle: passé

The gerund is passant, which you use after en for an action happening at the same time as another action. The past participle is passé, which you use with avoir in the perfect tenses: the je form of the present perfect is ai passé, 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 passer is used.

How the present of passer is formed

The present of passer follows the regular -er pattern: take the stem and add the present endings, giving je passe, tu passes, il/elle passe, nous passons, vous passez, ils/elles passent. The nous and vous forms are the ones learners most often get wrong, because they expect a change that is not there — learn the six forms as two groups, the singular forms and the plural forms, and the pattern becomes automatic. The stem never changes in the present for this verb, so the only work is the endings.

The present stem also feeds other tenses: the imperfect is built from the present nous form, and the present subjunctive is built from the present ils form, so learning the present properly makes the rest of the conjugation easier. The gerund passant and the participle passé belong to the same family of forms — learn them together with the present table and you will recognise passer in every tense.

When to use the present of passer

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

1. Passing a week in Paris — the everyday use

Passer is the verb for passing a week in Paris. It covers the ordinary, everyday situations where this verb appears, at home and outside. Example: “Je passe une semaine à Paris tous les jours.” — “I pass a week in Paris every day.”

2. Passing in front of the house — a second everyday use

Passer also covers passing in front of the house. This use is very common in everyday speech, and it is the one learners meet next after the first. Example: “Tu passes devant la maison tous les jours.” — “You pass in front of the house every day.”

3. Passing an exam in June — a third everyday use

In a third everyday situation, you use passer for passing an exam in June. The same verb, the same present forms, a different situation — that is why the present is worth learning as a whole table rather than one form at a time. Example: “Il passe un examen en juin tous les jours.” — “He passes an exam in June every day.”

4. 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 passer is no exception. Use time expressions such as tous les jours, toujours or chaque semaine to make the routine explicit. Example: “Nous passons une semaine à Paris tous les jours.” — “We pass a week in Paris every day.”

5. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. French often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with passer in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Vous passez devant la maison tous les jours.” — “You pass in front of the house every day.”

Present Tense vs Imperfect: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the imperfect, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the imperfect describes an ongoing or habitual past action, while the present describes habits and facts that are true now. 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 tous les jours or hier, while the imperfect sentences use autrefois or quand. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present: “Je passe une semaine à Paris tous les jours.” — “I pass a week in Paris every day.”

  • Imperfect: “Je passais une semaine à Paris autrefois.” — “I used to pass a week in Paris in the past.”

  • The present sentence is about the present moment or one finished action; the imperfect sentence is about the past as it used to be. That difference — now or finished versus ongoing in the past — is the whole decision.

  • Present: “Tu passes devant la maison tous les jours.” — “You pass in front of the house every day.”

  • Imperfect: “Tu passais devant la maison autrefois.” — “You used to pass in front of the house in the past.”

  • The present sentence is about the present moment or one finished action; the imperfect sentence is about the past as it used to be. That difference — now or finished versus ongoing in the past — is the whole decision.

  • Present: “Nous passons un examen en juin tous les jours.” — “We pass an exam in June every day.”

  • Imperfect: “Nous passions un examen en juin autrefois.” — “We used to pass an exam in June in the past.”

  • The present sentence is about the present moment or one finished action; the imperfect sentence is about the past as it used to be. That difference — now or finished versus ongoing in the past — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: passer 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, the objects, the other words — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Je passe devant la maison tous les jours.” — “I pass in front of the house every day.”

  2. “Tu passes un examen en juin tous les jours.” — “You pass an exam in June every day.”

  3. “Il passe une semaine à Paris tous les jours.” — “He passes a week in Paris every day.”

  4. “Nous passons devant la maison tous les jours.” — “We pass in front of the house every day.”

  5. “Vous passez un examen en juin tous les jours.” — “You pass an exam in June every day.”

  6. “Ils passent une semaine à Paris tous les jours.” — “They pass a week in Paris every day.”

  7. “Je passe devant la maison tous les jours.” — “I pass in front of the house every day.”

  8. “Tu passes un examen en juin tous les jours.” — “You pass an exam in June every day.”

Common mistakes with passer in the present

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: “Je passent une semaine à Paris.” Right: “Je passe une semaine à Paris.” Why: The je form is passe, not passent. Passent belongs with ils/elles. Mixing the two groups is the most common error with this verb.

  • Wrong: “Nous passent une semaine à Paris.” Right: “Nous passons une semaine à Paris.” Why: Nous keeps its own form: passons, not passent. Learn nous and vous as a separate pair from the singular forms.

  • Wrong: “Une semaine à paris” with the infinitive: “Je passer une semaine à Paris.” Right: “Je passe une semaine à Paris.” Why: The infinitive passer never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form passe.

  • Wrong: “Il est important que je passe une semaine à Paris.” Right: “Il est important que je passe une semaine à Paris.” Why: After il est important que French needs the subjunctive, so use passe here, not the indicative passe.

Quiz: passer in the present

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. Complete the sentence: “Je ______ devant la maison.”

  • (A) passe
  • (B) passes
  • (C) passons
  • (D) passez

2. Complete the sentence: “Tu ______ un examen en juin.”

  • (A) passez
  • (B) passes
  • (C) passe
  • (D) passons

3. Complete the sentence: “Il ______ une semaine à Paris.”

  • (A) passe
  • (B) passes
  • (C) passons
  • (D) passez

4. Complete the sentence: “Nous ______ devant la maison.”

  • (A) passez
  • (B) passons
  • (C) passe
  • (D) passes

5. Complete the sentence: “Vous ______ un examen en juin.”

  • (A) passes
  • (B) passons
  • (C) passez
  • (D) passe

6. Complete the sentence: “Ils ______ une semaine à Paris.”

  • (A) passes
  • (B) passons
  • (C) passent
  • (D) passe

7. What does passer mean in English?

  • (A) to leave, to let
  • (B) to pass, to spend
  • (C) to hold
  • (D) to carry, to wear

8. What is the past participle of passer?

  • (A) passé
  • (B) tenu
  • (C) porté
  • (D) laissé

Answer key

  1. A) passe — The je form is passe.
  2. B) passes — The tu form is passes.
  3. A) passe — The il/elle form is passe.
  4. B) passons — The nous form is passons.
  5. C) passez — The vous form is passez.
  6. C) passent — The ils/elles form is passent.
  7. B) to pass, to spend — passer means “to pass, to spend”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
  8. A) passé — The past participle of passer is passé; the present is formed with avoir + passé.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present of passer formed?

The present of passer is regular: take the stem and add the present endings, giving je passe, tu passes, il passe, nous passons, vous passez, ils passent.

When do I use the present of passer?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now — for example, “Je passe une semaine à Paris tous les jours.” — “I pass a week in Paris every day.” For a finished past action, use the passé composé instead.

What is the difference between the present and the imperfect of passer?

The present describes what is true now or happens regularly; the imperfect describes what used to happen or was happening in the past. Compare “Je passe une semaine à Paris tous les jours.” with “Je passais une semaine à Paris autrefois.” — the first is now, the second is the past as it used to be.

Pronunciation

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

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