The Imperfect Tense of pasar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Pasaba mucho tiempo en el parque cuando era niño. (I used to spend a lot of time in the park when I was a child.)

Pasar is a regular -ar verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the typical pattern for this verb type.

Conjugations

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

The imperfect tense of pasar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, as well as descriptions and states of being.

To spend time: For example, De niño pasaba las vacaciones en la playa. (As a child, I used to spend the holidays at the beach.)

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

To pass by or through: For example, Pasaba por la calle principal cada mañana. (I used to pass through the main street every morning.)

To pass time: For example, Pasábamos el rato jugando cartas. (We used to pass the time playing cards.)

To experience or go through: For example, Pasaba mucho frío en invierno. (I used to experience a lot of cold in winter.)

To transfer or hand over: For example, Me pasaba los apuntes de clase. (He/She used to pass me the class notes.)

To ignore or disregard (colloquial): For example, Pasaba de sus comentarios. (I used to ignore his/her comments.)

To exceed or go beyond (colloquial): For example, Se pasaba con las bromas pesadas. (He/She used to go too far with the practical jokes.)

Examples

Examples of Pasar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo pasaba mucho tiempo en el parque cuando era niño. (I used to spend a lot of time in the park when I was a child.)

Ellos pasaban las vacaciones en la playa cada verano. (They used to spend their vacations at the beach every summer.)

¿Pasabas mucho tiempo con tus amigos en la escuela? (Did you use to spend a lot of time with your friends at school?)

Nosotros pasábamos las tardes jugando videojuegos. (We used to spend the afternoons playing video games.)

Ella pasaba horas leyendo novelas de misterio. (She used to spend hours reading mystery novels.)

Vosotros pasabais demasiado tiempo en las redes sociales. (You used to spend too much time on social media.)

Ustedes pasaban los fines de semana haciendo deporte. (You used to spend the weekends doing sports.)

Yo pasaba mucho estrés en mi trabajo anterior. (I used to experience a lot of stress in my previous job.)

Ellas pasaban las noches estudiando para los exámenes. (They used to spend the nights studying for exams.)

¿Pasabas mucho tiempo al aire libre cuando eras joven? (Did you use to spend a lot of time outdoors when you were young?)

Nosotros pasábamos las vacaciones de verano en casa de los abuelos. (We used to spend the summer vacations at our grandparents’ house.)

Él pasaba horas en el taller arreglando coches. (He used to spend hours in the workshop fixing cars.)

Vosotros pasabais mucho tiempo en la biblioteca estudiando. (You used to spend a lot of time in the library studying.)

Ustedes pasaban los domingos cocinando comidas familiares. (You used to spend Sundays cooking family meals.)

Yo pasaba mucho tiempo escuchando música en mi habitación. (I used to spend a lot of time listening to music in my room.)

Conjugations with English Translations

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

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American 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.