Regular -AR verb

pasar
to pass / spend time

Pasar is a regular -ar verb in Spanish.

Practice pasar free →

Pasar conjugation in Spanish

Pasar is a high-frequency verb that does an enormous amount of work. Its core meanings are 'to pass' and 'to spend (time)', but it also means 'to happen' — ¿qué pasa? (what's happening? / what's wrong?) is everyday Spanish. As a regular -ar verb it is easy to conjugate, which is just as well given how often you need it. The phrase pasarlo bien (to have a good time) is exam gold for talking about events and outings. Because it stretches across time, events and everyday situations, pasar quickly makes your Spanish sound natural.

Quick facts

Meaningto pass / spend time
Verb type-ar verb
Regular / IrregularRegular
CEFR levelA2

Pasar — conjugation tables

Pasar (to pass / spend time) is a regular -ar verb.

Indicative
Presente guide →
yopaso
pasas
élpasa
nospasamos
vospasáis
ellospasan
Pretérito Indefinido guide →
yopasé
pasaste
élpasó
nospasamos
vospasasteis
ellospasaron
Pretérito Imperfecto guide →
yopasaba
pasabas
élpasaba
nospasábamos
vospasabais
ellospasaban
Futuro guide →
yopasaré
pasarás
élpasará
nospasaremos
vospasaréis
ellospasarán
Condicional guide →
yopasaría
pasarías
élpasaría
nospasaríamos
vospasaríais
ellospasarían
Pretérito Perfecto guide →
yohe pasado
has pasado
élha pasado
noshemos pasado
voshabéis pasado
elloshan pasado
Pluscuamperfecto guide →
yohabía pasado
habías pasado
élhabía pasado
noshabíamos pasado
voshabíais pasado
elloshabían pasado
Futuro Compuesto guide →
yohabré pasado
habrás pasado
élhabrá pasado
noshabremos pasado
voshabréis pasado
elloshabrán pasado
Presente Progresivo guide →
yoestoy pasando
estás pasando
élestá pasando
nosestamos pasando
vosestáis pasando
ellosestán pasando
Subjunctive
Pres. Subjuntivo guide →
yopase
pases
élpase
nospasemos
vospaséis
ellospasen
Imperf. Subjuntivo guide →
yopasara
pasaras
élpasara
nospasáramos
vospasarais
ellospasaran
Imperative
Imperativo guide →
yo
pasa
élpase
nospasemos
vospasad
ellospasen

Example sentences with pasar

Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.

1.
Paso mucho tiempo con mi familia.
I spend a lot of time with my family.
2.
¿Qué pasa?
What's happening? / What's wrong?
3.
Pasamos las vacaciones en España.
We spent the holidays in Spain.
4.
El autobús pasa cada diez minutos.
The bus comes every ten minutes.
5.
Pasé por tu casa ayer.
I came by your house yesterday.
6.
Pásame la sal, por favor.
Pass me the salt, please.
7.
Ha pasado un año desde entonces.
A year has gone by since then.
8.
No pasa nada.
It's no problem / Don't worry.
9.
¿Cómo lo pasaste en la fiesta?
Did you have a good time at the party?
10.
Pasaré a recogerte a las ocho.
I'll come by to pick you up at eight.

How to use pasar

Spending time

Paso tiempo con mi familia (I spend time with my family).

Happening

¿Qué pasa? (what's happening?); no pasa nada (it's fine).

Passing / going by

El autobús pasa cada diez minutos (the bus comes every ten minutes).

Having a good time

Pasarlo bien: lo pasé genial (I had a great time).

Common phrases using pasar

Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.

pasarlo biento have a good time
pasar deto not care about / to skip
¿qué pasa?what's up? / what's wrong?
pasar porto go past / to drop by
pasar listato take the register

Idiomatic expressions

pasarlo biento have a good time
pasar de algoto not care about something
pasar listato take the register
de pasadain passing

Common mistakes with pasar

Pasar means both 'to pass/spend (time)' and 'to happen'. ¿Qué pasa? = what's happening, not 'what passes'. For having a good time say pasarlo bien (with the lo): lo pasé genial = I had a great time. Leaving the lo out is a very common slip.

Grammar notes

pasar is a regular -ar verb — it follows the standard -ar pattern in every tense. That makes it a good one to drill: if you know pasar, you know the template for all regular -ar verbs.

Practice pasar — free

Type conjugations from memory and get instant feedback. That's how you actually build the automatic recall the exam needs — not from reading tables.

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Quick quiz — pasar

Three questions. Press Enter to check each answer.

tú (Pretérito Indefinido)
tú (Presente)
vosotros (Pretérito Indefinido)

Frequently asked questions

How do you conjugate pasar in the present tense?

yo: paso, tú: pasas, él: pasa, nosotros: pasamos, vosotros: pasáis, ellos: pasan

Is pasar a regular or irregular verb?

Pasar is a regular -ar verb following the standard -ar pattern.

How do you use pasar in a GCSE Spanish essay?

Use pasar in multiple tenses to show range — present, preterite and future at minimum. This is a key criterion for higher GCSE marks.

Similar verbs to pasar

Verbs that are easy to confuse with pasar or that behave like it.

ocurrirto happen / occur — a synonym for the 'happen' sense of pasar.
sucederto happen — slightly more formal than pasar.
ganarunrelated in meaning, but pasar appears in many time phrases worth contrasting.

Related verbs

hablar caminar trabajar escuchar

This reference is written for UK GCSE and A-Level Spanish learners and their teachers. It is designed for exam revision: every form is checked against standard conjugation rules, and the examples reflect the registers and topics that come up in the AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas specifications. Pasar is a high-frequency verb and appears often in exam papers. For active recall, use the free practice tool rather than only reading the tables.