"Spend time" is to use/invest time in something; "pass time" is to fill time when you have nothing to do.
To use time, money, or energy on something. Implies deliberate investment of a resource.
She spends three hours a day studying for the exam.
Ella pasa/dedica tres horas al dia estudiando para el examen.
We spent the entire weekend at the lake. It was perfect.
Pasamos todo el fin de semana en el lago. Fue perfecto.
I do not want to spend my vacation sitting at home.
No quiero pasar mis vacaciones sentado en casa.
To pass (time when there is nothing better to do). Also: to go by a place, pass a test, hand something over.
I read magazines to pass the time while waiting at the dentist.
Leo revistas para matar el tiempo mientras espero en el dentista.
Time passes quickly when you are having fun. It is the opposite when you are bored.
El tiempo pasa rapido cuando te diviertes. Es lo contrario cuando te aburres.
Could you pass me the salt, please?
¿Me puedes pasar la sal, por favor?
Common mistake
The classic Spanish-speaker error: "I passed a great time" (instead of "I had a great time" or "I spent a great time"). "Pasar un buen rato" in Spanish does not translate literally as "pass a good time" — the natural English is "have a great time" or "spend a great time." "Pass a good time" exists but sounds old-fashioned. Another error: "pass time doing something" when you mean you used that time productively — the correct choice there is "spend time doing something".
Trick to remember it
Key difference: "spend time" = I invest that time in something (it has value). "Pass time" = I kill time waiting for something (time is an obstacle to get through). "We spent the afternoon reading" (deliberate investment). "We passed the afternoon reading while waiting for the storm to end" (reading was to fill time). For positive experiences: always "spend" or "have": "spend a great weekend", "have a great time". Never "pass a great time".
Quick rule
Spend time = invest / dedicate time. Pass time = kill time (when there is nothing better to do).
Did you know?
"Time flies" is an expression that exists in almost every language. In Latin it was "tempus fugit." The full version is "time flies when you are having fun" — when you enjoy something, you are not consciously "passing" time: it simply goes by without you noticing. This is exactly the difference between "spending" time (you are aware of investing it) and time "passing" or "flying" (you perceive it as something escaping).
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She _____ her entire childhood in a small coastal village.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
He plays games on his phone to _____ the time during his commute.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Spend time = invest / dedicate time. Pass time = kill time (when there is nothing better to do).
The classic Spanish-speaker error: "I passed a great time" (instead of "I had a great time" or "I spent a great time"). "Pasar un buen rato" in Spanish does not translate literally as "pass a good time" — the natural English is "have a great time" or "spend a great time." "Pass a good time" exists but sounds old-fashioned. Another error: "pass time doing something" when you mean you used that time productively — the correct choice there is "spend time doing something".
Key difference: "spend time" = I invest that time in something (it has value). "Pass time" = I kill time waiting for something (time is an obstacle to get through). "We spent the afternoon reading" (deliberate investment). "We passed the afternoon reading while waiting for the storm to end" (reading was to fill time). For positive experiences: always "spend" or "have": "spend a great weekend", "have a great time". Never "pass a great time".
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy