Join Discordpasser
to go past; to pass by; to pass through
Je vais passer par Lyon demain.
I'll be passing through Lyon tomorrow.
to stop by; to drop in (brief visit)
Je vais passer chez toi vers 19h.
I'll stop by your place around 7pm.
to hand (something) to someone; to pass (an object)
to spend (time); to pass (time)
J'aime passer mes après‑midi à lire.
I like to spend my afternoons reading.
to happen; to occur
to take (an exam); to sit (a test)
to show/broadcast (a programme or film)
Elle va passer son permis la semaine prochaine et ils vont passer le match à la télé.
She's going to take her driving test next week, and they're going to show the match on TV.
Notes
GENERAL INFO
Passer is a highly versatile French verb. It means "to pass," "to spend (time)," "to go by," "to go through," or "to hand over."
USAGE
It's used for physical movement ("Je passe devant la boulangerie" - I pass by the bakery), temporal duration ("Nous passons un bon moment" - We are having a good time), or transferring objects ("Passe-moi le sel" - Pass me the salt).
TRAPS
The main trap is the auxiliary verb in compound tenses. Use *être* when passer denotes movement or changing location ("Je suis passé par Paris" - I passed through Paris). Use *avoir* when it means "to spend (time)" or when transitive ("J'ai passé un bon week-end" - I spent a good weekend).