German Phrase
Brauchst du meinen Pass?
Meaning
‘Brauchst du meinen Pass?’ literally means ‘Do you need my passport?’ It is a short, polite way to offer your passport when someone (e.g., a travel companion, a hotel clerk, or a border officer) might need to see it.
When to use
Use this sentence at airports, hotels, car‑rental desks, or any situation where a document check is required and you want to hand over your passport voluntarily. It is informal, so reserve it for people you address with ‘du’. For formal contexts switch to ‘Brauchen Sie Ihren Pass?’
✦Grammar Breakdown
BrauchstdumeinenPass?
Verb conjugation (brauchen)
‘brauchen’ is a regular verb; for ‘du’ the ending is –st: ‘du brauchst’.
Verb‑first in yes/no questions
In German yes/no questions the finite verb moves to the first position, followed by the subject.
Accusative case with possessive pronoun
‘Pass’ is masculine (der Pass). In the accusative it becomes ‘den Pass’, so the possessive ‘mein’ also takes the accusative ending –en: ‘meinen Pass’.
Informal ‘du’ vs. formal ‘Sie’
‘du’ is used with friends, family or people you already know. With strangers you would say ‘Brauchen Sie Ihren Pass?’
🗨In Conversation
Brauchst du meinen Pass?
Do you need my passport?
Ja, bitte gib ihn mir.
Yes, please give it to me.
✕Common Mistakes
Brauchst du mein Pass?
‘Pass’ is masculine and in the accusative it needs the ending –en on the possessive pronoun.
Braucht du meinen Pass?
The verb must be conjugated for ‘du’: ‘du brauchst’, not ‘braucht du’.
Du brauchst meinen Pass?
In a yes/no question the verb must be first; the correct order is ‘Brauchst du … ?’.
↔Alternatives
Benötigst du meinen Pass?
Do you need my passport?
Kann ich dir meinen Pass geben?
Can I give you my passport?
Möchtest du meinen Pass?
Would you like my passport?
Cultural Tip
In German‑speaking countries the default form of address with strangers is the formal ‘Sie’. Switching to ‘du’ signals familiarity or a relaxed setting, so be sure the other person is comfortable with the informal pronoun. Also, German passports are called ‘der Pass’, not ‘das Pass’, which determines the accusative ending ‘meinen’. At a border checkpoint you will more often hear the formal version: ‘Brauchen Sie Ihren Pass?’