Passer is a versatile French verb which can be employed in many ways to express a variety of situations associated with time and movement. While it can be translated as to pass in English, it can also mean a host of other things. The list below is not exhaustive, but gives a good indication of the most common uses of the verb in French.

PRONOMINAL USAGE

Se passer

The most common usage of passer is in the pronominal form se passer to mean ‘to happen’ or ‘to take place’:

Que se passe-t-il ici ? (alternatively written as ‘Qu’est-ce qui se passe ici?’) – What is happening here? (or ‘what is going on here?’)  

Il a écrit une histoire qui s’est passée au dix-huitième siècle – He wrote a story which took place in the 18th century

Se passer de – to do without, to no longer need

Je me passe de ton aide, merci ! – I’ll do without your help, thank you very much!

INTRANSITIVE USAGE

Passer voir qn – to visit someone, to drop in on someone (also passer chez qn)

Marianne a dit qu’elle passerait voir Luc avant d’aller au taf – Marianne said she would drop in on Luc before going to work

Passer prendre qn – to pick someone up, to fetch someone

Je vais passer prendre Guy ce soir et je le ramènerai après la fête – I will pick Guy up tonight and bring him back after the party

TRANSITIVE AND PHRASAL USAGE

Passer un examen – to take/sit an exam (this expression is a faux ami of ‘to pass an exam’ which is better translated as ‘reussir (à) un examen’ or ‘être reçu à un examen’)

Arnaud va passer son examen de biologie mardi prochain – Arnold will sit his biology exam next Tuesday

Passer (du temps, etc.) – to spend (a day, one’s time, holiday, etc.)

Quand il était au chômage, il passait tout son temps à ne rien faire (When he was unemployed, he spent all his time doing nothing)

Passer l’aspirateur – to vacuum

Passer qch à qn – to pass something to someone, to give sth to sb

Passe-moi les artichauts, s’il te plaît – Pass me the artichokes, please

Passer devant – to pass in front of, to walk past

Il passe toujours devant le magasin en rentrant chez lui – He always walks past the shop on his way home

Passer par – to pass through, to pass by

On est passé par la France en route vers l’Angleterre – We passed through France on our way to England 

Je suis passé par ton bureau cet aprèm mais on m’a dit que t’étais sorti – I passed by your office this afternoon, but they told me you were out

Passer à – to move on to, to change/transition/switch to

On doit passer à la caisse tout de suite; le magasin va bientôt fermer – We should move on to the checkout right away; the shop is about to close

Passer de – to move from something, to switch from (often employed with passer à)

Passer pour – to pass as, to be considered/thought of as

Avec tes cheveux comme ça, tu pourrais passer pour un jeune Elvis – With your hair like that, you could pass for a young Elvis

Passer commande – to place an order (de qch – for something; à qn – with someone)

AVOIR OR ÊTRE?

A discussion of verbs wouldn’t be complete without delving into the usual minefield, so let’s see what the rules are regarding the auxiliary verbs passer uses in the passé composé.

Pronominal or reflexive usage will always employ être (Ils se sont passés de leur domestique pendant une semaine – They did without their servant for a week)

When passer has a direct object, avoir is used. Il a passé deux mois incroyables aux Seychelles – He spent two incredible months in Seychelles.

In other cases, être is used when talking about a completed action or the results of one. Avoir is used when talking about the action itself.

Le temps de plaisanter est passé – The time for joking is over (être is needed here because the sentence is expressing the fact of something being completed, something that is past.)

Il a passé pour le chef du ménage – He was thought of as the leader of the household (here the emphasis is not on a completed action or the results of one, so avoir is used).

In actual usage, they are sometimes employed interchangeably; être is often employed even when according to the rules avoir should be the right choice. Nevertheless, être is still usually preferred when talking about a completed action. Language is riddled with little quirks like that.

The following are both considered acceptable:

Il a passé par là – Il est passé par là (He went through there)

Un mois a passé depuis la rentrée – Un mois est passé depuis la rentrée (A month has passed since the start of the school year)  

For agreement rules, see Après avoir, Après être.