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Learn pasar conjugation in Pretérito

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 Spanish conjugation lesson we will see how to inflect the verb pasar in the Pretérito 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 Simple Tenses conjugation have a look at the Simple Tenses Conjugation Chart.

You may also see the Video Presentation on how to conjugate verbs in Pretérito. It’s embedded below, but using the above link you may see more detailed information on conjugation in this tense as well as explanation of exceptions and special cases.

How to translate Pretérito to English

Note that the English phrases 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.

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Note the timeline

The ability to correctly locate the desired position on the timeline is a crucial skill for the right choice of tenses. So pay attention to the timeline in our lessons and visualize it while listening, speaking, reading or writing. After some practice you’ll be able to select the right tense to use much easier.timeline preterito perfecto simple how to conjugate spanish verbs

Step by step instructions

Pretérito belongs to the simple tenses group, which means that all of its conjugated forms are one word long. There are also compound (compuesto) tenses in Spanish language, where each inflected form consists of two words.The verb pasar has a completely regular conjugation in the Pretérito tense of the Indicativo mood. It means that this verb follows the basic rules for its conjugation group (-ar) without any exceptions.
The basis for this conjugation is the stem of the verb, so we begin by splitting the infinitive into a stem and an ending. It’s really easy to do. Simply 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 person as the basis for the conjugation, the common prefix or root that each of the forms begins with.
Next, add to this regular stem the endings specific to each person. See the image on the side showing all the six 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.
endings preterito perfecto simple ar how to conjugate spanish verbs
Add the regular ending for the first person singular to create pasé:
  • yo pasé – I passed
One more time add the regular ending -aste for the second person singular to create pasaste:
  • tú pasaste – you passed
Again add the regular ending for the third person singular to create pasó:
  • él pasó – he passed
  • ella pasó – she passed
  • usted pasó – (formal) you passed
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One more time add the regular ending -amos for the first person plural to create pasamos:
  • nosotros pasamos – we passed
  • nosotras pasamos – (feminine) we passed
Also as in the previous case add the regular ending -asteis for the second person plural to create pasasteis:
  • vosotros pasasteis – (plural) you passed
  • vosotras pasasteis – (feminine, plural) you passed
And exactly as previously add the regular ending -aron for the third person plural to create pasaron:
  • ellos pasaron – they passed
  • ellas pasaron – (feminine) they passed
  • ustedes pasaron – (formal, plural) you passed

This is it! The conjugation is now done. That’s the final result:

yopaséI passed
pasasteyou passed
él/ella/ustedpasóhe/she/it passed
nosotros/nosotraspasamoswe passed
vosotros/vosotraspasasteisyou passed
ellos/ellas/ustedespasaronthey passed
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 and some links.

Example sentences

Espero que no estés enfadada por lo que pasó la última noche.
I hope you're not angry about what happened last night.
Y el dulce gatito se pasó toda la noche maullando, así que no pude dormir.
And the sweet pussycat spent all night meowing, so I could not sleep.
Se pasó casi toda la noche estudiando y sus ojos se notaban cansados.
He spent almost all night studying and his eyes looked tired.
Que su hermano le haya perdonado no quiere decir que haya olvidado lo que pasó.
The fact that his brother have forgiven him does not mean that he have forgotten what happened.
En la fiesta lo pasé bien.
I had a good time at the party.

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:  
  • 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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