pass through

travel through a place without stopping for long

B1

What does "pass through" mean?

To pass through a place means to travel across or via it without really stopping — you are on your way to somewhere else, and the place is just part of the route. It suggests a brief, transient visit rather than a proper stay. You might pass through a town, a country, an airport, or a border crossing. The expression 'just passing through' is especially common in spoken English when someone wants to explain that they are not staying — for example, if someone asks whether you live in a city and you say 'No, I'm just passing through.' The key idea is movement without settling.

Examples

How to use it

pass through + place

The most common pattern — the place being travelled through follows the full phrasal verb and cannot be separated from it.

We passed through a small mountain village on our way to the coast.

just passing through (no object)

Used without naming a place when the location is already understood from context — very common in spoken English as a standalone phrase.

'Are you visiting family here?' 'No, just passing through — we're heading to Barcelona.'

pass through + place + on the way to + destination

Use this pattern to make it clear that the place is part of a longer journey, not the final stop.

They passed through Brussels on the way to Amsterdam but didn't have time to sightsee.

pass through + place + briefly / without stopping / quickly

Adding an adverb like 'briefly' or 'quickly' reinforces the transient quality of the visit.

The tour bus passed through the town quickly without giving passengers a chance to get off.

pass through + it / there (pronoun for place)

When the place has already been mentioned, you can use a pronoun — 'it' is the natural choice for a named place.

I'd heard of Bruges before but only passed through it briefly on a train journey.

Common Collocations

a towna citya countryan airportthe areaa border

Common Mistakes

Confusing 'pass through' with 'stop off'

'Pass through' means you barely stop at all — the place is simply part of your route. 'Stop off' means you deliberately make a short but intentional stop. Using 'pass through' when you actually stayed somewhere, even briefly, can sound wrong.

✗ We passed through Rome for two days to visit the Colosseum.
✓ We stopped off in Rome for two days to visit the Colosseum.
Inserting an object between 'pass' and 'through'

'Pass through' is inseparable — the place must always come after the full phrasal verb, never between the two words.

✗ We passed the city through on our way north.
✓ We passed through the city on our way north.
Using the present perfect continuous

The form 'have/has been passing through' sounds unnatural for this phrasal verb. Use 'have passed through' or a simple tense instead.

✗ I've been passing through a lot of countries this year.
✓ I've passed through a lot of countries this year.

Usage

The expression 'just passing through' is very commonly used on its own in spoken English without naming the place. This phrasal verb is neutral and works equally well in British and American English.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'pass through' always mean travel? I've also heard it used in other ways.

This entry covers the travel sense — moving through a place without stopping long. The same words can also describe something like light moving through glass, or experiencing a difficult period in life. These are different meanings, so pay attention to the context: if the subject is a person or vehicle and the object is a place, it's almost certainly the travel sense.

Can I say 'just passing through' without mentioning the place?

Yes — leaving out the place is actually very natural in spoken English. If the location is already clear from the conversation, you can simply say 'just passing through' on its own. It's a very common expression when someone asks if you live in or are visiting a place.

What kinds of places can I use with 'pass through'?

You can use it with almost any geographic location — towns, cities, villages, countries, regions, airports, border crossings, and checkpoints are all very common. The important thing is that it's a real place you are travelling across or via, not a destination where you are planning to stay.

Can 'pass through' be used in the passive, like 'The town was passed through'?

No — this doesn't work naturally in English. Because 'pass through' in this sense doesn't have a direct object being acted upon (you are moving through the place, not doing something to it), a passive form sounds unnatural. Stick to active sentences with the traveller as the subject.

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