Is it Passed or Past Year? Which is correct?

Vocabulary / By

“Past year” is correct and means the preceding year from the current date.”Passed year” is incorrect and should not be used in English.

Examples:
This past year has been tough on all of us.
What have you been doing this past year?

Past year

We use “past year” when we want to describe a time that is the preceding year and up until now.

Let me give you an example.

Today’s date is the 22nd of June,2022. So if I say, “past year”, then I mean the 22nd of June,2021 until today the 22nd of June,2022.

We don’t usually use this phrase for specific dates but rather for the recent past.

You should use the present perfect tense with “past year” as it is a time that starts in the past and continues until the present.

Past year vs The Last Year

“The last year” has a similar meaning to “past year”.

Example:
The last year has been so good!.
The past year has been so good!

It is important to note that you can also use “the last year” when we are not in the present moment.

The last year of University was very difficult.
They spent the last year of their lives living in a cabin in the mountains.

As you can see, “the last year” is from one point in time to another point where something was completed.

Past year vs Last Year

“Last year” has a different meaning to “Past year”.

Let’s use our example again.

Today’s date is the 22nd of June,2022. “Last year” means the first of January, 2021 until the 31rst of December 2021.

So “last year” means the previous year to the one we are in now.

Example:
I went to an amazing concert last year.

What does passed mean?

“Passed” is the past tense of the verb “to pass”. “Passed” can mean several things including move from one place to another, time elapsing, and to be successful in an exam.

Examples:
I passed the ball to the striker and he scored.
Time always passed by s slowly when I was a kid.
I passed my driving test the first time.

Year with “passed”

It is possible to use the word “year” with passed but it usually has the context of time elapsing.

The year passed me by so quickly.
I passed this year with flying colors. (passed the school exam)

Conor
Latest posts by Conor (see all)