Olá amigos leitores! Hello, reader and friends! Are you ready to learn a little more about the Portuguese language? In today’s text we are going to work on several collocations for the verb passar, which is definitely one of the richest and most plural in Brazil. So we are going to clarify its most common uses in daily life and the several phrases that it covers. Então, que tal a gente “passar a limpo” esta palavra?

If you consider how to spell passar, you must probably be wondering whether it could be related to the English verb “to pass”, right? Well, as it turns out, the answer is yes and no. Although these verbs actually have a similar meaning in certain contexts, the Portuguese version varies a lot according to the phrase in which it is found, so it is important to be aware! So let’s move on to some examples to clarify!

verbo passar em português

O verbo “passar” no sentido de “ultrapassar” ou “exceder” | “Passar” as in move past or beyond something

• O carro passou o nosso muito rápido | The car overtook ours really fast
• A mala passou dez quilos do limite | Your bag is 10 kg overweight

O verbo “passar” no sentido de “atravessar” | “Passar” as in going past

• Acabamos de passar pelo Rio de Janeiro | We just drove past Rio de Janeiro 
• Foi por essa ponte que passamos | This is the bridge we crossed

O verbo “passar” no sentido de “ser aprovado” | “Passar” as in being approved (a test, the school year, a job interview)

• Passei no vestibular! | I passed the exam!
• Infelizmente você não conseguiu passar de ano | Unfortunately, you did not manage to move on to the next grade

O verbo “passar” no sentido de “cessar” ou “acabar” | “Passar” as in to be over

• A fever passou depois que tomei o remédio | The fever broke after I took some pills
• Não fique triste, isso vai passar | Don’t be sad, it will pass

O verbo “passar” no sentido de “percorrer” ou “ir” | “Passar” as in going somewhere 

• Que tal a gente passar na praia? | What do you say we stop by the beach?
• Esse ônibus passa por onde? | Where does this bus go through?

O verbo “passar” no sentido de “transcorrer” | “Passar” as in going by

• O tempo passou e agora sinto que envelheci | Time went by and now I feel that I got old
• Antigamente o rio passava por esse vale | Back in the day the river used to run through this valley

O verbo “passar” no sentido de “entregar” | “Passar” as in giving something to someone

• Você pode me passar o açúcar? | Can you pass me the sugar?
• Estou esperando você me passar o relatório | I am waiting for you to hand me back the report

O verbo “passar” no sentido de “sentir” (bem ou mal) | “Passar” as in feeling (good or bad)

• Passei mal depois do jantar | I felt sick after dinner
• Me avise quando estiver passando bem | Let me know when you are feeling better

O verbo “passar” no sentido de “ser apresentado” ou “estar em exibição” | “Passar” as in being screened or on TV

• O filme passou nos cinemas | The film was playing at the theaters
• Passam muitos programas interessantes nesse canal | There are a lot of great shows on this channel 
• O que está passando na TV? | What’s on TV?

O verbo “passar” no sentido de “aplicar” | “Passar” as in put on, apply or rub on 

• O machucado vai infeccionar se você não passar pomada | The wound might infect if you don’t put on some cream
• Passe sabão de coco que a mancha sai da sua camisa | Try applying some coconut soap to get the stain off your shirt

So what did you think of the first part of this text? Não deixe ele passar em branco! Write us a comment or share other ways of using passar that you’ve heard of! Fiquem de olho em nosso blog para não perderem a segunda parte deste texto!