passare
/pasˈsa.re/
The Italian verb for 'pass' is passare.
passare is used to describe moving or being moved from one place to another. This includes the physical movement of people or objects, as well as the passage of time, such as in the expression passare il tempo (to pass the time). Other related expressions include concedere il passo to mean 'to give way' or 'to yield the passage', and farsi strada which means 'to make oneself a path'.
Meaning: to move or be moved from one place to another (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
The infinitive form passare is used to express the concept of passing or moving through or by. The second person singular present indicative of the verb is passi (you pass / he/she passes), and the past participle is passato (passed).
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /pasˈsa.re/. It has 3 syllables and the stress is on the 2nd syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
When asking someone to pass an object to you, ensure you use passare with a direct object or an indirect object pronoun, such as passami il sale.
Did you know?
- In a social context, passare per can mean 'to be perceived as', such as passare per sciocco meaning 'to be taken for a fool'.
- Italian uses passare to describe the process of 'wearing out' or 'fading', such as when the color of a garment disappears.
- The word passare comes from the Vulgar Latin *passāre, which is rooted in the Latin noun passus meaning 'step'.
Examples in context
- Può passare il sale?Can you pass the salt?This sentence demonstrates how to ask someone to pass the salt using passare.Tatoeba #11253393 by Guybrush88, translation #6575291 by Eccles17
- Mi può passare il sale?Can you pass me the salt?This sentence shows how to ask to be passed the salt using passare.Tatoeba #1599167 by Guybrush88, translation #473814 by CM
- Lasci passare la volpe.Let the fox pass.This sentence illustrates how to use passare to describe letting something pass.Tatoeba #13997105 by Guybrush88, translation #13910020 by rul
- Mi scusi, posso passare?May I pass, please?
- 89 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are walking through a busy street festival.
- FrancescoDevo passare attraverso la folla.I have to pass through the crowd.
- SofiaAspetta che la gente possa passare.Wait until the people can pass.
- FrancescoSofia, mi puoi far passare?Sofia, can you let me pass?
- SofiaCerto, passa pure da questa parte.Of course, go ahead and pass this way.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pass” translations and entries passare, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries passare, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
