Quick answer
Passar presents time as an experience; gastar presents money, time, or energy as a resource consumed.
A reliable test is to identify the job of the word before translating from English.
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What each word does
passar
to spend or pass time
Use passar for experiencing a period or using time in an activity.
gastar
to spend or use up
Use gastar for consuming money, time, energy, or another limited resource.
How to choose
- passar: Choose passar if the sentence points to experiencing a period or using time in an activity.
- gastar: Choose gastar if the sentence points to consuming money, time, energy, or another limited resource.
Examples
Passei duas horas lendo.
I spent two hours reading.
Gastei cem reais no mercado.
I spent one hundred reais at the market.
Common trap
With time, both may work but the viewpoint changes: passar duas horas lendo is neutral; gastar duas horas can stress the cost.
Practice it in context
Pick one sentence from your real life and write it twice: once with passar, then once with gastar. If both versions feel possible, name the meaning shift.
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