ich passe
In German, "I will pass" is expressed as ich passe.
The phrase ich passe is used to decline an opportunity or to skip a turn, most commonly during card games or board games to indicate that a player is skipping their turn or declining to bet.
Which one should you use?
While ich passe is used for skipping a turn in a game, it should not be used to mean that you are physically walking past something. In the sense of walking past an object or person, you would use ich gehe vorbei.
How does it change in a sentence?
In English, speakers often use the future tense "I will pass" to express a decision made at the moment, but in German, the present tense ich passe is used to express this intention.
Did you know?
- While ich passe is common in games, Germans use the phrase ich passe mal to politely decline an invitation, such as an offer for a drink or a snack.
- In a social setting, adding the word mal to the phrase, resulting in ich passe mal, serves to soften the refusal and makes the decline sound much more casual and less blunt.
- The word ich shares a common ancestor with the English word 'I', both stemming from the Proto-Indo-European root '*eǵh₂óm'.
Examples in context
- Danke, aber ich passe.Thanks, but I will pass.
- Ich passe diesmal lieber.I would rather pass this time.
Example conversation
Julia and Lukas are playing a card game at a cafe.
- JuliaMöchtest du noch eine Runde spielen?Do you want to play another round?
- LukasNein danke, ich passe.No thanks, I will pass.
- JuliaBist du schon müde, Lukas?Are you already tired, Lukas?
- LukasJa, ich muss jetzt nach Hause.Yes, I have to go home now.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ich, CC BY-SA 4.0.
