passer
/pa.se/
The English phrase 'drop by' is translated into French as passer.
The verb passer is used to describe visiting someone or a place informally and spontaneously. In spoken French, you can use the phrase passer voir (quelqu'un) to mean 'to drop by (someone's place)'. If you want to describe the more abrupt action of showing up or dropping in at someone's place, you might use the informal expression débarquer (chez quelqu'un).
Meaning: to visit informally and spontaneously (verb)
Which one should you use?
While passer is the standard way to express dropping by, the colloquial expression faire un saut can be used specifically when you mean to 'pop in' or make a very short visit.
How does it change in a sentence?
To specify whose place you are dropping by, you must use the preposition chez followed by the person or the pronoun, such as in the phrase passer chez quelqu'un.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /pa.se/ and has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The informal verb débarquer for dropping in originally described a ship's passengers disembarking from a boat onto land.
- Using the expression faire un saut to mean 'dropping by' literally translates to 'to make a jump', suggesting a quick, energetic movement.
- The verb passer shares a common ancestor with the English word 'pass', as both originate from the Latin word 'passus', meaning a 'step'.
Examples in context
- On passera plus tard.We'll drop by later.This sentence shows how to use passer to talk about visiting later.Tatoeba #6383208 by Scorpionvenin14, translation #6382829 by OsoHombre
- C'est sympa de passer.Nice of you to drop by.This sentence uses passer to express that dropping by is a nice gesture.Tatoeba #4164879 by sacredceltic, translation #3729723 by CM
- Tom m'a demandé de passer.Tom asked me to drop by.This sentence uses passer to report a request to drop by.Tatoeba #11303652 by reg, translation #2545827 by CK
- Je vais passer chez Sophie.I'm going to stop by Sophie's place.
- Je vais débarquer chez Pierre.I'm going to drop in at Pierre's place.
- Je passe chez Philippe pour lui donner son cadeau d'anniversaire.I'm dropping by Philippe's place to give him his birthday present.
- Je vais passer demain chez mon professeur de français.I'm going to drop by my French teacher's place tomorrow.
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel are talking on the phone about their plans.
- EmmaEst-ce que je peux passer chez toi ?Can I drop by your place?
- GabrielOui, avec plaisir !Yes, with pleasure!
- EmmaJe passerai vers dix-huit heures.I'll drop by around 6 p.m.
- GabrielParfait, à tout à l'heure.Perfect, see you later.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry passer, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries passer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
