Introduction
pasarán is a useful Spanish verb form for talking about what people or things will do in the future. Depending on the sentence, it can mean they will pass, they will go by, they will spend time, or things will happen. It comes from the common verb pasar, which has several meanings in everyday Spanish. You may hear this form in conversations about plans, travel, time, and events, and you will also see it in books, messages, and news about ordinary topics.
Learning pasarán helps you recognize how Spanish builds the future tense and how one verb can have different meanings in different situations. The ending tells you that the subject is a group of people or things, or the formal plural you, ustedes. The accent mark also gives you an important clue about pronunciation. In this guide, you will learn the form’s basic meaning, common uses, pronunciation, and the differences between it and similar words.
Meaning and Definition
Pasarán is the simple future form of the verb pasar for ellos, ellas, and ustedes. Those subjects mean they, they, and you all, respectively. In its most basic sense, the verb pasar can mean to pass or go from one place to another. For example, people can walk past a shop, a bus can pass a building, or a visitor can pass through a doorway. In the future, pasarán describes that action as something that has not happened yet.
Pasar has several related meanings, so the best English translation depends on context. When the subject is time, it often means will pass or will go by: Los días pasarán means The days will pass. When the subject is an event or situation, it may mean will happen: ¿Qué pasará mañana? means What will happen tomorrow? It can also mean will spend when talking about time in a particular way, as in pasarán la tarde en el parque, or will pass when someone gives an object to another person.
The form is made by adding the future ending -án to the infinitive pasar. Spanish keeps the full infinitive before the future ending, so the pattern is pasar + án. The same kind of ending appears with many regular -ar, -er, and -ir verbs: hablarán means they will speak, comerán means they will eat, and vivirán means they will live. This makes the future form easier to recognize once you know the subject endings.
The verb pasar comes from Latin passare, a verb connected with stepping or moving past something. That history helps explain why many modern uses involve movement or a transition from one point to another. The idea of passing time or an event occurring developed naturally from this sense of movement. However, it is more useful for learners to remember the meaning of the whole phrase than to translate the verb in the same way every time.
Spanish often leaves out the subject pronoun when the verb ending makes the subject clear. For example, Pasarán por aquí can mean They will pass through here or You all will pass through here. The form alone does not tell you which subject is intended; the conversation or the surrounding sentence provides that information. If clarity matters, a speaker can add ellos, ellas, or ustedes.
Usage and Example Sentences
The examples below show how context changes the meaning of pasarán. Notice that the same future ending appears whether the verb refers to people, time, or events.
Spanish: Los días pasarán rápido durante las vacaciones.
English: The days will pass quickly during the vacation.
Spanish: Mis amigos pasarán por la biblioteca después de clase.
English: My friends will stop by the library after class.
Spanish: ¿Qué cosas pasarán en la próxima reunión?
English: What things will happen at the next meeting?
Spanish: Ustedes pasarán la tarde en el jardín.
English: You all will spend the afternoon in the garden.
Spanish: Los visitantes pasarán por la entrada principal.
English: The visitors will go through the main entrance.
Spanish: Cuando terminen el proyecto, pasarán a la siguiente actividad.
English: When they finish the project, they will move on to the next activity.
Spanish: ¿Me pasarán el mapa antes de salir?
English: Will you all pass me the map before leaving?
Spanish: Las familias pasarán un día tranquilo junto al lago.
English: The families will spend a peaceful day by the lake.
Spanish: Con un poco de práctica, pasarán de una tarea a otra con facilidad.
English: With a little practice, they will move from one task to another easily.
In the last examples, the translation uses move on or move from rather than pass. That is natural because English and Spanish do not match word for word in every phrase. When you see pasarán, first identify the subject and the rest of the sentence, then choose the English meaning that best fits.
Synonyms, Antonyms, and Word Usage Differences
There is no single synonym for pasarán that works in every sentence. The right alternative depends on which meaning of pasar is being used. If the idea is physical movement past a place, pasarán may be close to pasarán por allí, meaning they will go by there, while pasarán a través de la sala means they will pass through the room. In some contexts, cruzarán, meaning they will cross, is more precise. Use cruzarán when the sentence clearly describes crossing a road, bridge, or other area from one side to another.
If the sentence is about an event, ocurrirán or sucederán can mean will happen. For example, ¿Qué cosas pasarán? and ¿Qué cosas ocurrirán? both ask what things will happen. Ocurrirán and sucederán can sound a little more formal or focused on events. In relaxed conversation, pasarán is common and flexible. Choose the more specific verb when you want to emphasize that an event will take place rather than simply use a broad, everyday expression.
When talking about time, transcurrirán can mean will elapse or will pass. It is more formal than pasarán and often appears in writing. For ordinary conversation, los meses pasarán is a natural way to say the months will pass. If you mean that people will spend time somewhere, pasarán is often a good choice: pasarán el fin de semana en casa means they will spend the weekend at home. The verb permanecerán, meaning they will remain, focuses on staying in one place and does not always carry the same idea of spending time.
For passing an object to another person, pasarán can mean they will pass or hand over. Entregarán means they will deliver or hand over, and it may sound more exact when the object is being formally given to someone. In a casual request or description, pasarán el cuaderno is a straightforward way to say they will pass the notebook. In contrast, aprobarán means they will pass a class, course, or test. Learners should not automatically use pasarán for every English sentence with pass. The object and situation determine which Spanish verb is idiomatic.
Pasarán is also different from pasarían. The first is future: They will pass or They will happen. The second is conditional: They would pass or They would happen. Pasaron is another distinct form; it is the preterite, used for completed past actions, and often means they passed or they happened. These endings are easy to mix up when listening, so pay attention to the accent, the final sound, and the time described in the sentence.
There is no simple antonym for pasarán because its meaning changes with context. For movement, no pasarán can mean they will not pass, but this is a negative phrase rather than a different verb. For time, quedarse or permanecer can describe staying, depending on what you want to say. For an event, no ocurrirán means they will not happen. Instead of searching for one opposite, identify the intended meaning and choose a suitable opposite phrase for that particular situation.
Pronunciation and Accent
The pronunciation of pasarán can be shown in IPA as /pasaˈɾan/. A simple guide for English speakers is pah-sah-RAHN. The final syllable, rán, receives the strongest stress. The r is a quick tap of the tongue against the ridge just behind the upper teeth, similar to the single r in many Spanish words such as pero. It is not the long, rolled sound used for a Spanish rr.
The written accent mark over the á tells readers to stress the final syllable. Without that accent, the written form pasaran follows the usual Spanish stress pattern for a word ending in n, s, or a vowel: stress the next-to-last syllable. This difference matters because pasaran is a form of the imperfect subjunctive, used in certain dependent or hypothetical sentences, while pasarán is the future form. The accent mark is not decorative; it changes how the word is read and helps distinguish forms.
Spanish vowels are generally clear and steady. Say the a sounds like the open a in Spanish casa, rather than turning them into a glide or reducing them to a weak sound. Keep the three syllables even apart from the final stress: pa-sa-rán. A common mistake is stressing the first syllable, as if the word were PA-sa-ran. Another is using an English r sound. Listen for the final stress and practice the light Spanish tap.
Pronunciation is broadly similar across Spanish-speaking regions, though the exact quality of vowels and the strength of the r may vary slightly. The future ending remains recognizable. When speaking, do not pause before the final syllable or add an extra vowel after the n. Repeating the word inside a short sentence, such as Los días pasarán, helps you connect its rhythm with natural speech.
Native Speaker Nuance and Usage Context
Native speakers use pasarán in everyday conversation because pasar is a familiar, versatile verb. A person might use it to describe a route, make a plan, talk about how time will feel, or ask about future events. The form itself is not especially formal or informal. Its tone comes from the surrounding words and the situation. A simple sentence about friends stopping by can sound casual, while a written announcement about what will happen at an event may sound more formal.
One useful pattern is pasar por, which often means to go by, stop by, or pass through. The exact translation depends on the destination and the situation. Pasarán por mi casa may mean they will stop by my house, while pasarán por el pasillo means they will go through the hallway. If the sentence describes a brief visit, English speakers often use stop by even though the Spanish verb is pasar.
Another common pattern is pasar tiempo or pasar un rato, meaning to spend time or spend a while. With a future subject, pasarán tiempo con sus primos means they will spend time with their cousins. Spanish speakers may also use pasar to describe an experience or situation. In phrases like pasarán cosas interesantes, it means interesting things will happen. The surrounding noun or phrase is a strong clue to the intended sense.
Spanish speakers often use the simple future to make a prediction or statement about what is expected to happen. However, a present-tense form can also express a planned future action, especially when a time phrase makes the plan clear. For example, Mañana pasan por la tienda can mean They are stopping by the store tomorrow. The future form pasarán may sound more like a prediction, a promise, or a confident statement about a later time, depending on the speaker’s tone.
Remember that ustedes takes this same verb form when addressing more than one person. In most of Latin America, ustedes is the usual plural you in everyday conversation. In Spain, speakers commonly use vosotros for informal plural you, and its future form is pasaréis. The word pasarán still applies to ellos and ellas in every region, and it is used with ustedes throughout Latin America and in formal plural address in Spain.
Conclusion
Pasarán is the simple future form of pasar for they or the plural you. It can mean they will pass, go by, spend time, or happen, depending on the words around it. Its flexible meaning is one reason pasar appears so often in everyday Spanish. To understand it, identify the subject, look for clues such as por or a reference to time, and choose a translation that fits the whole sentence rather than translating each word separately.
For pronunciation, remember the three syllables pa-sa-rán and place the stress on the final syllable. The accent mark over á is essential because it distinguishes this future form from pasaran, a different verb form with a different stress pattern and use. Practicing examples about plans, visits, and events will help you recognize pasarán in real conversations and use it naturally. As you learn more future-tense endings, this form will also help you recognize many other Spanish verbs.
