aprobé mi examen
/apɾobe mi eɡsamen/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "I passed my exam" is expressed as aprobé mi examen.
This phrase is used to say that you were successful in a test or examination.
Which one should you use?
While aprobé is the standard way to say you passed a test, pasé is often used in certain Latin American dialects as a direct translation of "passed". To say you failed an exam, you use the verb reprobar instead of aprobar (e.g., reprobé mi examen).
Is it said differently in some regions?
The phrase pasé mi examen is often used in certain Latin American dialects.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb aprobé is the first-person singular preterite (past tense) of aprobar. In Spanish, it is more common to use the definite article el (the) instead of the possessive mi (my) when talking about passing an exam. For example, aprobé el examen.
How do you pronounce it?
/apɾobe mi eɡsamen/
Did you know?
- In Spain, passing a degree is often called aprobar la carrera, where carrera literally means 'race', though it refers to a university degree.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, students may use the phrase salvar el examen (to save the exam) to describe barely passing a test that they almost failed.
- The word examen shares a surprising history with the Spanish word enjambre, meaning 'swarm', which comes from the same Latin root.
Examples in context
- ¡Aprobé mi examen de conducir!I passed my driving test!
- Por fin aprobé mi examen de matemáticas.I finally passed my math exam.
- Aprobé mi examen de la universidad.I passed my university exam.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking in a cafe.
- María¡Daniel, aprobé mi examen!Daniel, I passed my exam!
- Daniel¡Qué buena noticia, María!That's great news, María!
- MaríaEstoy muy feliz por el resultado.I am very happy with the result.
- DanielTe lo mereces por estudiar tanto.You deserve it for studying so much.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries examen, mi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
