passen vs. stehen in German: Fit or Suit?

a2.1 vocabulary

Does the T-shirt fit, or does it suit you? Many learners mix up passen and stehen because both are used when you talk about clothes. In this A2 lesson you learn the difference (size versus style), the Dativ pattern both verbs share, useful adjectives like zu eng and zu weit, and the other everyday meanings of stehen and passen.

passen vs. stehen: The Difference

passen = to fit. You talk about the size or fit of a clothing item.
stehen = to suit. You talk about the style or look of an item, often the colours. It is your personal opinion.

Both verbs take the Dativ for the person. The thing you talk about is the subject:

Das Hemd passt ihm gut. The shirt fits him well. It is not too big and not too small.
Es steht ihm nicht. It does not suit him. It does not look good on him.
Der Hut passt ihm nicht. The hat does not fit him (it is too big).
Aber er steht ihm sehr gut. But it really suits him.

passen in Detail: Size and Fit

Unsere Tochter ist schnell gewachsen, die Schuhe passen ihr nicht mehr. The shoes do not fit her anymore. (ihr is the Dativ personal pronoun.)
Ich habe ziemlich zugenommen. Die Hosen passen mir nicht mehr. I have gained quite a bit of weight. The trousers do not fit me anymore.
Passt dir dein neuer Fahrradhelm? Does your new bike helmet fit you? Here you only talk about the size.

Useful modifiers

With passen you usually add a positive or negative modifier:

Positive: gut (neutral but positive), genau (exactly), perfekt, hervorragend and ausgezeichnet (both mean excellent), prima (more colloquial, but you will hear it in daily life).
Negative: nicht, gar nicht, nicht mehr.

Adjectives: Why Does It Not Fit?

When something does not fit, we usually say why:

Der Anzug ist zu groß / zu lang. The suit is too big or too long.
Die Hose ist zu weit. The trousers are too loose. Here weit (literally "far") means wide or loose.
Der Anzug ist zu klein. The suit is too small.
Die Hose ist zu eng. The trousers are too tight. eng is a useful adjective you might not know yet.

Watch out: in English it is "the pants" (plural), but in German it is die Hose, singular.

stehen in Detail: Style and Look

Ich mag dein neues T-Shirt. Es steht dir wirklich gut. I like your new T-shirt. It really suits you. You do not talk about the size, only the look.
Was denkst du? Steht mir diese Brille? What do you think? Do these glasses look good on me? Again: die Brille is singular in German. The glasses are the subject, the person (mir) is in the Dativ.
Mario trägt oft schwarze Kleidung. Ich finde, helle Farben stehen ihm besser. Mario often wears black clothes. I think light colours suit him better.

The modifiers are almost the same as with passen: gut, genau, perfekt, hervorragend, ausgezeichnet, and nicht, gar nicht, nicht mehr.

Other Meanings of stehen

You should know the basic meaning at A2: stehen = to stand.

Die Frau steht an der Bushaltestelle. The woman is standing at the bus stop.
Die Lampe steht auf dem Tisch. The lamp is on the table (literally: is standing on the table).

There is a second, very useful meaning in spoken German: stehen = to be written.

Entschuldigung, was steht auf dem Schild? What does the sign say? / What is written on the sign?
Hier steht: Parken verboten. It says here: no parking.
Was steht heute in der Zeitung? What is in the newspaper today?
Im Wörterbuch steht, dieses Nomen ist maskulin. The dictionary says this noun is masculine.
Was steht auf Seite 15? What does it say on page 15? A typical answer: Auf Seite 15 steht, dass ...

This meaning is also useful in your German class.

Bonus Tip: passen in Exercises and Exams

With exercises and exams, passen has another meaning: correct or logical. You will see these instructions often:

Welches Wort passt? Kreuzen Sie an. Which word is correct? Tick the box.
Was passt zusammen? Verbinden Sie. What matches? Connect them.

So with clothes, passen means the right size. In a grammar exercise it means the correct, logical answer.

Homework

Write a comment about the T-shirt in the video: Steht mir mein T-Shirt? or Passt mir mein T-Shirt? Or both?

What to Learn Next

Both verbs belong to the Dativ verbs. Learn more in All A2 German Dative Verbs, Learn All German B1 Dative Verbs in 10 Minutes and All 14 German Dative Verbs for A1. If the Dativ itself is still new, start with Was ist Dativ?.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between passen and stehen in German?

Passen is about size and fit: does it fit? Stehen is about style and look: does it suit you? Both verbs use the Dativ for the person.

Which case do passen and stehen take?

The person is always in the Dativ, for example Das Hemd passt ihm or Die Brille steht mir. The clothing item is the subject.

How do I say that something is too big, too small or too tight?

Use zu groß, zu klein, zu lang, zu weit (too loose) and zu eng (too tight), for example Die Hose ist zu eng.

What does stehen mean when it is not about clothes?

It can mean to stand (Die Lampe steht auf dem Tisch) or to be written (Was steht auf dem Schild?).

What does Welches Wort passt? mean?

It means Which word is correct? In exercises and exams, passen means that an answer is correct or logical.

Want to master the Dativ step by step? Our A2 German online course guides you through all A2 grammar with clear explanations and practice.