A comparison of the French verbs passer and arriver, focusing on their meanings, usage, and how they relate to expressing “to happen” in different contexts.
In French, both passer and arriver can relate to the idea of something happening, but they have different nuances and uses. Passer often implies that something takes place or occurs, sometimes in a more general or temporary sense. Arriver focuses on the occurrence or coming about of an event, usually emphasizing the moment it happens or that something has come to pass.
- Passer = to pass, to take place, to happen (often more neutral or describing a process)
- Arriver = to arrive, to happen (emphasizing the occurrence or suddenness of an event)
- Using passer vs. arriver depends on the context and what aspect of “happening” you want to highlight
Passer literally means “to pass,” but it can also mean that something takes place or occurs. It’s often used for events, time, or situations that happen or go by.
- La réunion a passé rapidement.* — The meeting went by quickly.
- Qu’est-ce qui s’est passé ?* — What happened?
Arriver means “to arrive,” but when used about events, it means “to happen” or “to occur.” It often highlights that something has come about, sometimes unexpectedly or at a specific moment.
- Qu’est-ce qui est arrivé ?* — What happened?
- Il est arrivé un problème.* — A problem occurred.
¿Qué ___ pasó?
Complete the French sentence: 'Qu’est-ce qui s’est ___ ?' means 'What happened?' using the verb meaning 'to take place' or 'to pass.'
passé
The correct past participle form to complete the sentence meaning 'What happened?' is 'passé' from the verb 'passer.'
Passer is used when describing that something took place, especially if you want to convey the idea of time passing or an event going on.
- Passer une journée — to spend a day
- Passer une épreuve — to go through a test
- Que s’est-il passé ? — What happened?
Examples:
- Le concert est passé sans incident.* — The concert took place without incident.
- J’ai passé une bonne soirée.* — I had a good evening.
- Que s’est-il passé hier soir ?* — What happened last night?
Arriver is used to indicate that something happened, often with a sense of arrival, occurrence, or sometimes surprise. It’s common in storytelling or reporting unexpected events.
- Arriver à l’école — to arrive at school
- Quelque chose est arrivé — something happened
- Il m’est arrivé une histoire incroyable! — An incredible story happened to me!
Examples:
- Qu’est-ce qui est arrivé pendant mon absence ?* — What happened while I was away?
- Il est arrivé un imprévu.* — An unexpected event occurred.
- Rien d’extraordinaire n’est arrivé.* — Nothing extraordinary happened.
| Context | Use Passer | Use Arriver |
|---|---|---|
| Talking about how time or events went | J’ai passé une mauvaise journée.* — I had a bad day. | (Not used) |
| Describing that something took place | La réunion est passée sans problème.* — The meeting took place without issues. | (Less common) |
| Asking what happened | Qu’est-ce qui s’est passé ?* — What happened? | Qu’est-ce qui est arrivé ?* — What happened? |
| Reporting an incident or event | (Less common) | Il est arrivé un accident.* — An accident occurred. |
| Emphasizing the occurrence or suddenness | (Less common) | Il est arrivé quelque chose d’étrange.* — Something strange happened. |
If you want to say 'I had a bad day' in French, which verb should you use?
J’ai passé une mauvaise journée.
'Passer une journée' means to spend a day. Arriver is not used for describing how one’s day was experienced.
- Qu’est-ce qui s’est passé ? and Qu’est-ce qui est arrivé ? both mean “What happened?” but passé is more neutral, while arrivé can imply something more eventful or sudden.
- Passer can be used reflexively (se passer) to mean “to happen” in a more formal or neutral way: *Que s’est-il passé ?
- Arriver can introduce indirect event clauses: Il est arrivé que... (It happened that...)
- Passer: Focus on something taking place, time passing, or a situation unfolding. More neutral and descriptive.
- Arriver: Focus on the occurrence or arrival of an event, often with emphasis on something unexpected or notable.
- Both can mean “to happen,” but choosing the right one depends on the nuance you want to convey.
Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025
