The Imperfect Tense of pasar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Yo pasaba las tardes leyendo novelas. (I used to spend the afternoons reading novels.)

Pasar is a regular -ar verb, so its Imperfect conjugations follow the typical pattern by dropping the infinitive ending and adding the Imperfect endings.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Pasar (to pass) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The imperfect tense of pasar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.

To spend time: For example, Cuando era niño, pasaba las vacaciones en la playa. (When I was a child, I spent the vacations at the beach.)

To happen or occur: For example, Pasaban cosas muy extrañas en esa casa. (Very strange things used to happen in that house.)

To pass by or through: For example, El autobús pasaba por mi calle todas las mañanas. (The bus passed through my street every morning.)

To experience: For example, De joven, pasé muchas dificultades económicas. (When I was young, I experienced many financial difficulties.)

To pass (time): For example, Pasábamos el rato jugando videojuegos. (We passed the time playing video games.)

To pass or transfer (colloquial): For example, ¿Me pasas la sal, por favor? (Can you pass me the salt, please?)

To ignore or disregard (colloquial): For example, Siempre me pasaba de las reglas. (I always disregarded the rules.)

Examples

Examples of Pasar in the Imperfect Tense

Cuando era niño, pasaba mucho tiempo jugando en el parque. (When I was a child, I spent a lot of time playing in the park.)

Ella pasaba las tardes leyendo novelas románticas. (She spent the afternoons reading romantic novels.)

En la universidad, pasábamos horas estudiando en la biblioteca. (In college, we spent hours studying in the library.)

Mis abuelos pasaban los inviernos en un lugar más cálido. (My grandparents spent the winters in a warmer place.)

Antes de tener hijos, pasábamos mucho tiempo viajando. (Before having kids, we spent a lot of time traveling.)

Cada verano, pasaba las vacaciones con mis primos en la playa. (Every summer, I spent the vacation with my cousins at the beach.)

Cuando era joven, pasaba horas practicando deportes. (When I was young, I spent hours practicing sports.)

En su tiempo libre, pasaba ratos agradables con sus amigos. (In their free time, they spent pleasant moments with their friends.)

Antes de tener internet, pasábamos más tiempo leyendo libros. (Before having the internet, we spent more time reading books.)

Mis padres pasaban las noches viendo telenovelas. (My parents spent the nights watching soap operas.)

De joven, pasaba mucho tiempo en la calle con mis amigos. (When I was young, I spent a lot of time on the street with my friends.)

Ella pasaba horas cocinando platillos deliciosos. (She spent hours cooking delicious dishes.)

Antes de tener un auto, pasábamos mucho tiempo caminando. (Before having a car, we spent a lot of time walking.)

En su juventud, pasaba los fines de semana bailando en discotecas. (In their youth, they spent weekends dancing in clubs.)

Cuando era estudiante, pasaba mucho tiempo en la cafetería con mis compañeros. (When I was a student, I spent a lot of time in the cafeteria with my classmates.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Pasar (to pass) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.