Introduction
Learning the difference between passar por and passar em helps you sound more natural in Brazilian Portuguese. Both verbs translate to English phrases like passing by or passing through, but each preposition changes the meaning. This article explains their grammar, common uses, examples, and cultural notes for beginner to intermediate learners.
Overview: why prepositions matter
In Portuguese, verbs often change meaning when paired with different prepositions. With the verb passar, choosing por or em creates distinct senses. Understanding these choices will improve comprehension and help you avoid common mistakes when speaking or writing.
Basic senses of passar por and passar em
Passar por usually implies movement through, passing by, or experiencing something. Think of a path, a brief visit, or undergoing an event. Passar em often suggests stopping at a place, attending something, or succeeding in a test. Context and regional usage also affect nuance.
Detailed rules and meanings
1. Passing through or by: passar por
Use passar por to describe movement through a space or past a point, or to describe experiencing an event or condition.
Movement through or by a location:
Eu vou passar por São Paulo no caminho para o Rio.
Ela passou por aquela praça ontem.
Passing through implies not stopping or only a brief stop. It emphasizes the route or the fact of going through.
Experiencing an event or condition:
Ele passou por um momento difícil no ano passado.
Nós passamos por muitas mudanças na empresa.
Here passar por is used figuratively: to go through an experience, often challenging or significant.
2. Stopping at or attending: passar em
Use passar em to indicate stopping at a place (often briefly), attending an event, or succeeding in an exam or selection.
Stopping by a place:
Vou passar em casa dos meus pais antes de ir ao trabalho.
Você pode passar em qualquer loja e pegar o presente?
Note that passar em here means to drop in or visit, usually with intent to stop, even for a short time.
Attending an event or place:
Ela vai passar em uma reunião hoje à tarde.
Ele passou em uma entrevista de emprego.
Succeeding in an exam or selection:
Parabéns! Você passou em concurso público.
Nós passamos em todas as matérias deste semestre.
In this academic or evaluation sense, passar em equals passing or being approved.
Comparisons with examples
When both could be possible
Some verbs and contexts allow both prepositions but with different meanings. Compare these sentences to see the distinction.
1. Eu passei por a padaria. (I passed by the bakery — I went past it, maybe without entering.)
2. Eu passei em a padaria. (I stopped by the bakery — I went inside or at least made a stop.)
1. Ele passeou por o centro da cidade. (He walked around/through the city center — emphasizing route.)
2. Ele passou em o centro da cidade. (He stopped at the city center — less common; context would emphasize a visit.)
Note how the first sentence in each pair highlights motion through or past, while the second highlights stopping or attending.
Regional and informal usage
Brazilian Portuguese can be flexible. In casual speech, some speakers use passar em and passar por interchangeably. However, native speakers still recognize the nuanced differences. Pay attention to context and typical collocations to choose the natural phrase.
For instance, passar por + place is more common when describing a route, while passar em + place is more common for brief visits. Yet you might hear Eu passei em frente da casa dela and Eu passei por frente da casa dela; the first is more standard for a stop or passing in front.
Grammar patterns and verb forms
Basic conjugation notes
The verb passar is regular. Here are a few useful forms for everyday use:
Infinitive: passar
Presente: eu passo, você/ele passa, nós passamos, eles passam
Pretérito perfeito: eu passei, você passou, nós passamos, eles passaram
When you combine with a preposition, keep the same conjugation: eu passei por, nós passamos em, ele vai passar por, ela está passando em.
Common constructions with passar por
passar por + place: movement through or by a place
passar por + experience/condition: go through an experience
Examples:
Vou passar por Santos antes de seguir viagem.
Eles passaram por um período de incerteza.
Common constructions with passar em
passar em + place: stop or visit a place
passar em + test/selection: succeed in something
Examples:
Posso passar em sua casa às oito?
Ela passou em vestibular para medicina.
Usage notes and collocations
Prepositional choice with times and events
Use por when mentioning duration or route: passar por três horas, passar por aquele trecho. Use em for specific occasions or institutions: passar em reunião, passar em exame.
Examples:
O caminhão passou por aquela estrada por três horas.
Ele passou em uma consulta com o dentista.
Idiomatic and figurative uses
Several idiomatic phrases use passar por to express emotional or life experiences:
passar por dificuldades — to go through difficulties
passar por cima de algo — to disregard or ignore something (often negative)
With passar em, idioms often relate to approvals or visits:
passar em branco — to be overlooked or left out (literal: to pass in white — meaning unnoticed)
passar em revista — to be reviewed or inspected
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Confusing route vs stop
Remember route/through = passar por. Stop/visit/attend = passar em. If you mean you were just on the way, use por. If you mean you actually visited or attended, use em.
Wrong: Eu passei em São Paulo a caminho do Rio. (This suggests you stopped in São Paulo.)
Better: Eu passei por São Paulo a caminho do Rio. (This makes clear it was part of the route.)
Tests and approvals
For exams, interviews, or selections, use passar em. Using por would sound incorrect in these contexts.
Correct: Ela passou em prova final.
Incorrect: Ela passou por prova final.
Cultural notes and real-life situations
Brazilian city trips and public transport
When talking about travel in Brazil, locals frequently use passar por to describe routes or neighborhoods they cross. In public transport contexts, you will hear motoristas and passengers say Eu vou passar por ali or O ônibus passa por aquele bairro.
Visiting friends and family
When arranging visits, Brazilians typically use passar em to indicate stopping by someone’s home or a shop. For example, Pode passar em casa depois do trabalho? means please stop by my house.
Voice and register: formal vs informal
Both expressions work in formal and informal speech. For formal writing, be precise: use passar por for route and experience, and passar em for attendance and success. In informal conversation, native speakers may blur the lines, but learners should follow the standard distinctions to be understood clearly.
Quick reference summary
Use this short guide when deciding between passar por and passar em:
passar por = move through or past a place; experience or undergo something.
passar em = stop at or visit a place; attend an event; pass an exam or selection.
Conclusion
Mastering the difference between passar por and passar em will make your Portuguese more precise and natural. Remember that passar por emphasizes route or experience, while passar em highlights stopping, attending, or succeeding. Listen for these patterns in real Brazilian speech, and with practice the choice will become instinctive.
