Pasar de largo

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/pa·ˈsaɾ ðe ˈlaɾ·ɣo/

To pass by at length.

Frequency

ConversationVery common

JournalismCommon

LiteraryOccasional

AcademicRare

In English

to go past; **to go past**; **to overshoot**; **to pass by**; **to overlook**; **to miss**

Meaning

Pasar de largo means:

Examples

Me pasé de largo y no vi la salida.

I went past the exit without noticing it.

El autobús pasó de largo.

The bus didn't stop and carried on.

Pasó de largo sin saludar.

He walked straight past without saying hello.

Ese detalle se me pasó de largo.

I completely overlooked that detail.

to go past without stopping,
to overshoot,
to miss something,
to overlook something, or
to pass someone or something by.

Whether the meaning is literal or figurative depends on the context.

Used when

misses a bus stop or exit
walks past a place without noticing it
overlooks an important detail
ignores someone unintentionally
lets an opportunity slip away

Origin

The expression comes from travelling.

Someone who pasa de largo literally continues beyond the place where they should have stopped.

The image naturally expanded to include anything that is missed, ignored or overlooked, whether physically or metaphorically.

Today both meanings are equally common.

Cultural note

Depending on the context, the expression may describe:

a simple mistake,
carelessness,
distraction,
or a deliberate decision not to stop.

The surrounding context almost always makes the intended meaning clear.

Did you know?

Spanish has several expressions involving missed opportunities or unnoticed things:

Pasar de largo → to go past; to overlook.
Pasársele algo por alto → to overlook something.
Dejar escapar una oportunidad → to let an opportunity slip away.
No darse cuenta → not to realise.

Among them, pasar de largo is unique because it works equally well for literal movement (walking or driving past somewhere) and for figurative situations (missing an opportunity or overlooking an important detail).

For English speakers

Do not translate the expression literally.

Instead, choose the equivalent that best fits the situation:

to go past
to overshoot
to miss
to overlook
to walk straight past

There is no single English expression that works in every context.