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passer at A1 — the present tense

« passer » — jump to your level:A1A2B1B2C1C2Native

A regular -ER verb with an unusually wide reach.

Passing and dropping in

passer is a plain regular -ER verb, and its basic sense is to pass or go by: « je passe devant la boulangerie ». With chez it means to drop in: « je passe chez toi ce soir » — I’ll come round to yours tonight.

That “drop in” sense is one of the most useful things in everyday French, and it is invisible to learners who only know passer as “to pass”.

💡 Focus at this level: Basics — passing by

👨‍🏫 How to use « passer » at this level

1. « Passer chez » = to drop in on someone.

2. « Passer par » = to go via. « Je passe par Lyon. »

3. « Tu peux me passer… ? » = can you pass me…? At every dinner table.

Je passe chez toi ce soir.I’ll drop by yours tonight.
Tu peux me passer le sel ?Can you pass me the salt?
Le bus passe à huit heures.The bus comes at eight.
Je passe par Lyon.I’m going via Lyon.
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