Pasar is a regular -ar verb in Spanish.
Practice pasar free →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
Pasar (to pass / spend time) is a regular -ar verb.
Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.
Paso tiempo con mi familia (I spend time with my family).
¿Qué pasa? (what's happening?); no pasa nada (it's fine).
El autobús pasa cada diez minutos (the bus comes every ten minutes).
Pasarlo bien: lo pasé genial (I had a great time).
Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.
Idiomatic expressions
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.
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.
Type conjugations from memory and get instant feedback. That's how you actually build the automatic recall the exam needs — not from reading tables.
Practice pasar now →Three questions, no account needed. Type the form, then press Enter or tap Check.
yo: paso, tú: pasas, él: pasa, nosotros: pasamos, vosotros: pasáis, ellos: pasan
The past participle is pasado (he pasado) and the gerund is pasando (estoy pasando).
Verbs that are easy to confuse with pasar or that behave like it.
Pasar is on the AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary lists. Compare the exam boards.
Written by Daniel Holmes for GCSE & A-Level Spanish students.