The idea
Present tense: ich passe, du passt, er/sie/es passt, wir passen, ihr passt, sie/Sie passen. Learn the sentence pattern etwas passt jemandem; zu etwas passen together with the principal parts.
| Form | Deutsch |
|---|---|
| ich | passe |
| du | passt |
| er/sie/es | passt |
| wir | passen |
| ihr | passt |
| sie/Sie | passen |
| Präteritum | passte |
| Perfekt | hat gepasst |
| Imperativ (du) | Passe! |
| Muster | etwas passt jemandem; zu etwas passen |
Meaning and sentence pattern
A garment fits a dative person. Zu plus dative describes matching or suitability; in plus accusative can describe fitting into a space.
Learn this pattern as a unit: etwas passt jemandem; zu etwas passen. The six situations below show the verb with concrete objects, complements or circumstances.
Form check
Der Schuh passt mich.Der Schuh passt mir.The person a shoe fits is dative: mir.
Examples
- Ich passe mit dem Koffer nicht durch die schmale Tür.I cannot fit through the narrow door with the suitcase.
- Du passt mit deiner Erfahrung gut in das Team.Your experience makes you a good fit for the team.
- Die Jacke passt mir an den Schultern.The jacket fits me at the shoulders.
- Der neue Deckel passte genau auf den Topf.The new lid fitted the pot exactly.
- Der Termin hat allen Beteiligten gut gepasst.The appointment suited everyone involved well.
- Passt der große Ordner noch in dieses Fach?Does the large folder still fit in this compartment?
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Watch out
The person a shoe fits is dative: mir.
Try it yourself
du ___ (passen, Präsens)
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passt
passt: this is the second-person singular present form.
er/sie ___ (passen, Präteritum)
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passte
passte: this is the third-person singular simple past.
Perfekt: er/sie hat ___
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gepasst
gepasst: in this use the perfect tense is hat gepasst.
Practice round
Answer three questions, then rebuild three German sentences. We keep your score.
du ___ (passen, Präsens)
er/sie ___ (passen, Präteritum)
Perfekt: er/sie hat ___
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Read the six situations aloud, compare the verb forms, and complete the present, past and participle checks. Then write a new sentence that follows etwas passt jemandem; zu etwas passen.