The preterite of pasar is used to express when time was spent or something passed by at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “I spent three hours at the museum” – “Pasé tres horas en el museo.”
This verb follows the regular -ar conjugation pattern in the preterite tense. The verb is versatile and can be used to express passing time, passing by a place, or something happening.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Pasar (to pass/spend time) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | pasé |
| Tú | pasaste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | pasó |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | pasamos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | pasasteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | pasaron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Pasar (to pass/spend time) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Pasar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of pasar expresses completed actions of passing or occurring.
To pass/spend time: Used for completed periods, for example Pasé tres horas estudiando (I spent three hours studying), or Pasaron el verano en la playa (They spent the summer at the beach).
To happen/occur: Describes events that took place, for example ¿Qué pasó ayer? (What happened yesterday?).
Examples
Examples of Pasar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Pasé tres horas estudiando. (I spent three hours studying.)
¿Qué pasó ayer en la reunión? (What happened yesterday in the meeting?)
Pasamos un verano increíble. (We had an incredible summer.)
El tren pasó muy tarde. (The train passed very late.)
¿Cómo pasaste el fin de semana? (How did you spend the weekend?)
Pasaron muchas cosas interesantes. (Many interesting things happened.)
Me pasé toda la noche despierto. (I stayed up all night.)
Pasó por mi casa esta mañana. (He passed by my house this morning.)
Pasamos por momentos difíciles. (We went through difficult times.)
¿Pasaste por el supermercado? (Did you stop by the supermarket?)
La tormenta pasó rápidamente. (The storm passed quickly.)
Pasaron la película en televisión. (They showed the movie on television.)
Pasé un buen rato con mis amigos. (I had a good time with my friends.)
¿Qué te pasó en la mano? (What happened to your hand?)
Pasamos la tarde en el parque. (We spent the afternoon in the park.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Pasar (to pass/spend time) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo pasé | I passed |
| Tú pasaste | You passed |
| Él / Ella / Usted pasó | He / She / You (formal) passed |
| Nosotros / Nosotras pasamos | We passed |
| Vosotros / Vosotras pasasteis | You all passed |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes pasaron | They / You all (formal) passed |
This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here
Synonyms
The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.