pasar means: to pass, to pass on, to spend (time), to happen
Click to see all conjugation charts of pasar in every tense

In this conjugation lesson we will learn how to inflect the verb pasar in the Presente tense of the Indicativo mood. It means we will see step by step how to create and translate forms of each grammatical person.

This lesson is specifically about the pasar verb conjugation. For a general overview of all the Simple Tenses conjugation have a look at our Simple Tenses Conjugation Chart.

We also have a Video Presentation on how to conjugate verbs in Presente. It’s embedded below, but using the above link you will find more detailed information on conjugation in this tense and explanation of special cases and exceptions.

How to translate Presente to English

Notice that the phrases in English provided below next to each conjugation are not direct translations from Spanish to English. They are usually the closest general equivalents. The example differences are:

• In Spanish conjugation, there is the form usted in the third person singular. But this person does not translate to the English third person singular. It translates to the so called formal you and uses the inflected form which is most often represented as he/she/it in English conjugation charts.
• Similar situation happens in the third person plural, where ustedes translates to the English plural formal you but uses the form which corresponds to the they form in English.
• Tenses are used differently in Spanish and English, so the actual translation should always take into account the context and focus on translating the meaning, not just words.
• In both languages each verb may have multiple meanings and not every meaning translates directly to the other language. Here also, the context and focusing on the particular meaning helps to create the most accurate translation.

The Spanish Presente de Indicativo tense translates to one of the following:

• The English Present tense, for instance:
  yo paso

  I pass
• The English Present Progressive (a.k.a. Present Continuous) tense, for instance:
  ahora mismo nosotras pasamos

  (feminine) we are passing right now
  
  However, the Spanish equivalent of the Present Progressive also exists and is in common use – that’s Presente Progresivo (or Presente Continuo).

Note the timeline

The ability to properly locate the intended position on the timeline is an important skill for proper choice of tenses. So pay attention to the timeline in our lessons and visualize it while speaking, listening, writing and reading. After a bit practice you will be able to select the right tense to use much easier.

Step by step instructions

Presente belongs to the simple tenses group, which means that all of the inflected forms are one word long. There are also compound (compuesto) tenses in the Spanish language, where each conjugated form consists of two words.The verb pasar has regular conjugation in the Presente tense of the Indicativo mood. It means that this verb just follows the basic rules for its conjugation group (-ar) without spelling corrections or exceptions. The basis for this conjugation is the stem of the verb, so we have to begin by splitting the infinitive into a stem and an ending. It’s really easy to do. Just remove two letters from the end of the infinitive form to get the ending — one of -ar, -er or -ir. What’s left is the stem. So for our verb:

• the stem is: pas-
• and the ending is: -ar

Use the stem pas- in each subject as the basis for the conjugation, the common prefix that each of the forms begins with. Next, add to this regular stem the endings specific to each person. Check out the image showing all the endings. Note both the shapes and colors of the letters. They are arranged to help you find patterns and make it easier to remember these endings.Each grammatical person has a specific ending in each of the three conjugation groups -ar, -er, -ir. Add the regular ending -o for the first person singular to create paso:

• yo paso – I pass

As before add the regular ending -as for the second person singular to create pasas:

• tú pasas – you pass

Like in the previous case add the regular ending -a for the third person singular to create pasa:

• él pasa – he passes
• ella pasa – she passes
• usted pasa – (formal) you pass

And again add the regular ending -amos for the first person plural to create pasamos:

• nosotros pasamos – we pass
• nosotras pasamos – (feminine) we pass

Like in the previous case add the regular ending -áis for the second person plural to create pasáis:

• vosotros pasáis – (plural) you pass
• vosotras pasáis – (feminine, plural) you pass

And again add the regular ending -an for the third person plural to create pasan:

• ellos pasan – they pass
• ellas pasan – (feminine) they pass
• ustedes pasan – (formal, plural) you pass

That’s it! The conjugation is now done. The final result looks as follows:

yo	paso	I pass
tú	pasas	you pass
él/ella/usted	pasa	he/she/it passes
nosotros/nosotras	pasamos	we pass
vosotros/vosotras	pasáis	you pass
ellos/ellas/ustedes	pasan	they pass

Click to see all conjugation charts of pasar in every tense
But do not end your session yet – it’s important to repeat and practice the material in order to retain it. Check below for examples and suggestions.

Example sentences

Next Steps to Perfection To practice this conjugation and test your knowledge try this Conjugation Exercise or the Memory Game To see other conjugation lessons for this verb choose another tense: PretéritoImperfectoCondicionalFuturoPretérito Perfecto CompuestoPretérito PluscuamperfectoFuturo PerfectoCondicional PerfectoPretérito Perfecto Compuesto (subjuntivo)Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto A (subjuntivo)Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto B (subjuntivo)Futuro Perfecto (subjuntivo)  For exercises and examples related to pasar visit our Exercise section To see conjugation charts in all tenses for pasar visit the Conjugator To explore other learning materials visit the Study section

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