пройти / проехать
Passing Through or Past
Use пройти (on foot) or проехать (by vehicle) to describe moving through a space, passing a point, covering a distance, or overshooting a destination.
How It Works
The verbs пройти / проехать (perfective) and проходить / проезжать (imperfective) are used in several main ways. First, remember the basic distinction for human physical movement: пройти / проходить is for moving on foot, while проехать / проезжать is for moving by vehicle (though пройти is also used for time, events, and weather).
1. Passing Through, Along, or Past: Moving through a space, along a surface, or past a landmark.
- Use через + Accusative case for the space passed through: пройти через парк (to walk through the park).
- Use по + Dative to describe moving along or down a surface/space: пройти по улице (to walk down the street), проехать по мосту (to drive across the bridge).
- Use мимо + the Genitive case to say 'past': проехать мимо школы (to drive past the school).
2. Covering Distance or Time: Describing ground covered or time elapsed.
- Мы прошли пять километров (We walked five kilometers).
- Прошло два часа (Two hours passed).
3. The 'Overshoot' (Missing a Stop or Turn): Accidentally going past your intended destination, stop, or turn, whether on foot or in a vehicle.
- Я проехал свою остановку (I missed/overshot my stop).
- Я прошёл нужный поворот (I walked past the right turn).
4. Asking for Directions: The standard way to ask 'How do I get to...?' is 'Как пройти...?' (on foot), 'Как доехать...?' (asking about the general means of transport to reach a destination—note that this uses the prefix до- for reaching a destination, not про-), or 'Как проехать...?' (asking for the specific route or driving directions). These are followed by к + Dative, до + Genitive, or в / на + Accusative (e.g., Как пройти в библиотеку?).
5. Abstract and Social Uses:
- Exams and Material: пройти тест (to take or complete a test) or пройти тему (to cover/study a topic). In a school setting, Russians also use this verb for studying people or authors: Мы сейчас проходим Пушкина (We are studying Pushkin right now).
- Events and Weather: Собрание прошло хорошо (The meeting took place/went well). For weather, it means a weather event happened or passed: Ночью прошёл дождь (It rained during the night / The rain passed).
- Invitations and Crowds: The imperative Проходите! means 'Come in!'. In a crowd or on a bus, you might ask Вы проходите? to see if someone is moving through or forward. Note that to ask if someone is getting off, you must use the verb выходить: Вы выходите?
6. Taking a Stroll or Drive: Adding the reflexive suffix creates пройтись / проехаться, which means 'to take a short walk/drive' or 'to go for a stroll': Я хочу пройтись (I want to take a walk).
7. Pain and Fitting Through Spaces:
- Pain/Illness: Used when pain or an illness goes away: У меня прошла голова (My headache went away) or Боль прошла (The pain passed).
- Fitting: Used when an object fits (or doesn't fit) through a space: Диван не проходит в дверь (The sofa doesn't fit through the door).
Examples (6)
- Мы прошли через весь парк за десять минут.
We walked through the whole park in ten minutes.
Word by Word: We walked through all park in ten minutes.
Using 'через' with the accusative is the most natural way to describe walking through a physical space.
- Извините, я проехал свою остановку.
Sorry, I missed my stop.
Word by Word: Sorry, I drove-past my stop.
In the context of transport, this perfective verb implies the mistake of overshooting the destination.
- Вчера мы проехали сто километров по горной дороге.
Yesterday we covered 100 kilometers on a mountain road.
Word by Word: Yesterday we drove-through 100 kilometers along mountain road.
This demonstrates using the prefix to describe a specific distance covered.
- Как мне пройти к библиотеке?
How do I get to the library?
Word by Word: How to-me to-walk-through to library?
This is the standard polite formula for asking for walking directions.
- Каждое утро я прохожу мимо этого памятника.
Every morning I walk past this monument.
Word by Word: Every morning I walk-past past this monument.
The imperfective 'прохожу' combined with 'мимо' describes a repeated action of passing a landmark.
- Прошло пять минут, и он наконец прошёл этот сложный тест.
Five minutes passed, and he finally passed this difficult test.
Word by Word: Passed five minutes, and he finally walked-through this difficult test.
This shows 'пройти' used for both the passage of time and successfully completing an exam or test.
Common Mistakes
Confusing 'пройти' (pass through/past) with 'прийти' (arrive).
Я прошёл домой в пять часов.Я пришёл домой в пять часов.The verb 'пройти' means you passed the house or walked through it. To express arriving at a destination, use 'прийти'.
Using «пройти» to mean 'cross'.
Different MeaningНам нужно пройти улицу.Нам нужно перейти улицу.«Нам нужно пройти улицу» is a correct sentence, but it means walking along the whole street. To cross from one side to the other, use «перейти».
Using 'пройти' to mean 'pass an object' (like 'pass the salt').
Пройди мне соль, пожалуйста.Передай мне соль, пожалуйста.English speakers often use 'pass' for handing objects to someone, but in Russian, 'пройти' is only for physical movement through space or time. To hand something to someone, use the verb 'передать'.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand 'пройти / проехать', learners must first be familiar with the basic verbs of motion 'идти' and 'ехать', as these prefixed forms inherit their conjugation patterns. Additionally, knowledge of the accusative case is necessary because the object being passed through or the distance covered is expressed as a direct object.
- идти / ходитьUnidirectional and Multidirectional Walking
The verb пройти is a prefixed form of the basic verb of motion идти, sharing its conjugation and core meaning of walking.
Level 3 - ехать / ездитьUnidirectional and Multidirectional Vehicle Travel
The verb проехать is a prefixed form of the basic verb of motion ехать, sharing its conjugation and core meaning of traveling by vehicle.
Level 3
Related Patterns
- перейти / переехатьCrossing or Moving Across
While пройти means to pass through or along, перейти specifically means to cross a boundary or street.
Level 3 - зайти / заехатьBrief Stop or Entering on the Way
Зайти implies a short stop or 'popping in' somewhere, whereas пройти implies continuing past or through without stopping.
Level 3 - дойти / доехатьReaching a Destination
Дойти focuses on reaching the final destination, while пройти focuses on the path taken or distance covered.
Level 3 - к + DativeDative After К
This construction is used with пройти/проехать when asking for or giving directions to a specific place.
Level 2 - Perfective result
The perfective forms пройти/проехать are often used to emphasize the result of having covered a distance or the specific event of missing a stop.
Level 3 - про-Duration-covering Про-
The prefix про- can also be used with non-motion verbs to indicate spending a certain amount of time doing something.
Level 5
Words in This Pattern
Practice пройти / проехать in Bubblegum
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