I think Luis overdid it with the salt in the soup.
Ana se pasó de la raya al criticar a todos en la reunión.
Ana crossed the line by criticizing everyone in the meeting.
Juan se pasó con el regalo y le compró un coche nuevo.
Juan went overboard with the gift and bought her a new car.
El chef se pasó con la cena, todo estaba increíble.
The chef outdid himself with dinner, everything was incredible.
Esta vez se pasó, no tenía derecho a hablarte así.
This time he went too far, he had no right to speak to you like that.
Similar words
se lució
se fue al extremo
se excedió
exageró
se pasó de la raya
se sobró
Meanings
Usage
Tone decides whether se pasó is criticism or praise, so the surrounding words usually show whether the excess was unwelcome or impressive.
Common mistakes
Se paso loses the required accent, while se pasó should not replace plain pasó for passing an exam, passing an object, or simply happening.
Etymology
From pasarse, the pronominal form of pasar, whose idea of passing or going beyond extends naturally to exceeding a limit.
FAQ
What does se pasó mean?
Se pasó means that someone went beyond a normal limit, often by going too far or overdoing something.
Can se pasó be positive?
Yes. With admiring tone, se pasó can mean someone outdid themselves or did something exceptionally well.
Is se pasó the same as pasó?
No. Pasó can mean happened, passed, or went by, while se pasó adds the idea of going beyond a limit.
What is the difference between se pasó and se pasó de la raya?
Se pasó de la raya makes the idea of crossing a line explicit, while se pasó can leave that limit understood from context.
Is se pasó informal?
Se pasó is common in everyday informal speech, especially in comments about behavior, food, gifts, jokes, or performance.
Comments & contributions
Know this word from another angle? Add a correction, a nuance, or a usage note. New posts go public after a quick review.
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Windy Meerkat
Jul 13
this one confused me for ages because half the examples sound angry and half sound like praise lol
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Rainy Tiger
Jul 7
Te estás pasando is stronger than learners expect. If a friend says it while you keep pushing a topic, it is basically stop now, not just a neutral observation that youre exaggerating
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Breezy Moth
Jul 3
In Spain I hear te has pasado tres pueblos a lot more than plain se pasó for the bad sense. It is not literal travel, it just means the person went wildly over the top, usually with a joke or a comment.
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Calm Dragonfly
Jun 20
small LatAm warning: te pasaste can be a thank-you in Chile/Ecuador style comments, like somebody gave way more help than expected. But the same two words can still be a scold, so dont translate it alone without the situation.