passer
/pa.se/
To come over in French is to say passer.
The verb passer is used to mean 'to stop by' or 'to drop by'. In the context of 'coming over', it implies a brief or casual visit rather than a formal appointment.
Meaning: to get to a place (verb)
Which one should you use?
While the verb venir means 'to come', using passer is more natural when you want to convey the English sense of a casual visit or 'coming over'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To specify that someone is coming over to your house, use the construction passer chez moi.
How do you pronounce it?
/pa.se/
Did you know?
- While passer means 'to come over', the expression passer l'arme à gauche is a slang idiom meaning 'to die'.
- In a very casual setting, a French speaker might use the slang phrase faire un saut instead of passer to mean 'to pop over' or 'to make a quick jump' to your house.
- The term passer can also be used to describe a physical examination, such as passer un examen, which means 'to take an exam'.
Examples in context
- Je passerai ce soir.I'll come over this evening.This sentence shows how to use passer to indicate a visit later in the evening.Tatoeba #11171578 by lbdx, translation #6352989 by CK
- Tom ne peut pas passer aujourd'hui.Tom can't come over today.This sentence demonstrates a negative statement using passer regarding availability today.Tatoeba #7410908 by lbdx, translation #7367758 by CK
- Je pense que je peux passer cet après-midi.I think I can come over this afternoon.This sentence shows how to express a possibility of coming over in the afternoon using passer.Tatoeba #6322073 by Aiji, translation #2407734 by CK
- Viens chez moi demain soir à 7 heures.Come to my place tomorrow evening at 7 o'clock.
- Est-ce que tu peux venir chez moi ce weekend?Can you come to my place this weekend?
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan calls Léa to invite her for coffee.
- NathanSalut Léa, tu veux passer à la maison ?Hi Léa, do you want to come over to the house?
- LéaC'est gentil, Nathan. Je peux passer vers seize heures ?That's kind, Nathan. Can I come over around 4 PM?
- NathanOui, c'est parfait pour moi.Yes, that is perfect for me.
- LéaSuper, à tout à l'heure !Great, see you soon!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry passer, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
